Wisdom, Courage, Friendship- An Earthbound Novelization
by MetroidMan101
Summary: A young boy from Eagleland is awakened by the call of adventure and sets out to defeat the forces of evil. This adaptation includes several reinterpretations of key events and characters, so hopefully it'll still be an interesting read for fans who are already familiar with the story. Much like the game, this summary stinks, so come in and see for yourself! Rated T for language.
1. The Disturbance

**_Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ \- An Earthbound Novelization**

 **Original story by Shigesato Itoi**

 **That's right, I'm doing a _third_ novelization of a video game! My Undertale story went very well, and people seem to be enjoying my adaptation of Cave Story, so I figured this would be another fun one! As with my previous stories, there _will_ be a few changes to the plot here and there just to keep things fresh. But for now, we'll start with the beginning all Earthbound fans know so well.**

 **The cover image was made by myself, using sprites from the Spriter's Resource. All credit for them goes to the rippers on that website.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **INTRODUCTION: The Night it Began  
**

Chapter 1: The Disturbance

Ness was awakened just as abruptly as sleep had come, shooting up in bed when the foundations of his house- and what felt like the entire _world_ \- rattled around him. For a moment he wondered if an earthquake had struck, but he soon became aware of a distinct crashing noise in the distance, as if something had exploded. He was no expert, but he was pretty sure earthquakes didn't sound like that.

The tremors stopped after a few seconds, and all was silent again save for his startled gasps. In fact, the rumbling had been so swift that he wasn't entirely sure he hadn't been dreaming until he heard police sirens outside. Whatever had happened, it had gotten attention.

Rubbing his eyes, Ness climbed out of bed and stumbled toward the door to his room. His heart was pounding after that, and he knew he wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time soon. Not that it mattered much, it was only around 10:30 and summer had just begun in western Eagleland. He didn't have any plans for the next morning, either.

 _"_ _Might as well go see what's up,"_ he thought to himself.

Light shone under his door, indicating that he wasn't the only one awake. Upon opening it and stepping into the hallway he came across a blonde-haired girl about three quarters his height, dressed in soft pink pajamas.

"Tracy, did you hear that too?"

His little sister looked even more drowsy than he did, offering a brief nod in reply.

"Are you gonna go look? What if it's the Demogorgon?"

He sighed. Tracy had become a fanatic for some fantasy board game recently and was making constant reference to it.

"Aliens or monsters or whatever aren't real," Ness replied flatly. "Go back to bed, I'll just be gone for a few minutes. Don't tell Mom I left, okay?"

"Fine," she pouted. "But if you get eaten, don't say I didn't warn you!"

He tiptoed down the stairs to the first floor of their home as quietly as he could, wincing every time a step creaked under his weight. If he wanted to investigate, he'd have to make sure he wasn't caught on the way outside.

"Oh, Ness! Are you going somewhere?"

So much for being inconspicuous. His mother was standing in the living room with an amused look on her face. Like Tracy, she had wavy, golden hair. She was also in her nightgown, but didn't have her slippers on. Ness wondered why she'd even left her room; she clearly didn't intend to go out.

"Yeah… that loud noise woke me up, so I wanted to see what was going on."

Inwardly he was already planning his escape route for when she told him to go back to bed. His window was too high up to jump, but there was a tree not far from it that he could reasonably leap to-

"Alright, you can go. I'm sure you'll just try to sneak out anyway if I say no," she said, interrupting his plan. His mother had an understanding look on her face, but also seemed to be resisting a laugh.

"Though… perhaps you should change first."

He looked at himself and understood what she meant. His blue- and white-striped pajamas and bare feet were hardly appropriate for the occasion, and his short black hair was a mess. With a meek nod, he ran back upstairs to his room.

A few minutes later, Ness emerged wearing an outfit he'd picked somewhat at random. His blue- and yellow-striped shirt and lighter blue shorts weren't the best match in the world, but for a quick nighttime run he didn't care much. He slipped into his red and white sneakers and grabbed the one accessory he would always wear no matter the outfit: his red baseball cap. Putting it on over his (somewhat) combed hair, he was ready to go. His mother was still downstairs and waved goodbye to him as he left the house.

The nighttime air, normally cool in early summer, was tinged with a mild warmth and the smell of something burning in the distance. Ness turned his gaze southeast, toward the path into town, and felt the urge to roll his eyes when he saw a stray police car parked there, with the officer setting up wooden roadblocks to prevent anyone from passing. Of course he was doing that; the Onett Police Department would block the roads if a parking meter went unpaid. Residents of the town theorized that either the police were constantly bored out of their minds or going for the world record of having the most roadblocks.

He could hear more sirens from the opposite direction and looked at the hill west of his house. Red and blue flashes of light were near the top of it, alongside a strange orange glow. He was too far down to get a closer look, so he began to hike up the trail toward the source.

Ness had to be careful on his way up, as more officers were stationed along the path. He remained hidden in the shrubbery to bypass them, though in hindsight he wondered if it was really necessary; most of them seemed too tired and grumpy to care about stopping citizens that far down the hill. Nevertheless, he felt he was better safe than sorry.

Toward the hill's summit he came across the only person who lived that far on the outskirts of Onett, a kooky old man by the name of Lier X. Agerate. His disheveled blue clothing and dirty gray beard, on top of his overall sketchy demeanor, made him a person to generally be avoided. Regrettably, it seemed that the cover of bushes was no match for his eyesight.

"Ness, buddy!" he cackled. "How're ya doin'? Did you hear that huge 'BOOM' too? I bet it scared everyone else to death, but not me 'cause I eat my garlic and work out a lot!"

"Uh… yeah, I'm going to check it out," Ness replied, not stopping to chat. Lier didn't attempt further conversation, which he was immensely grateful for.

The most police activity was near the top, where an impassible barricade of squad cars had been parked on the trail. A group of officers milled about, occasionally speaking into their radios.

 _"_ _Shoot, it doesn't seem like I can sneak past them…"_

"Hey kid, get outta here!"

He flinched at the call, but soon realized that it hadn't been directed at him. When Ness saw who _was_ on the receiving end of it, he almost wished it had been.

Standing with the police was another boy Ness's age, but the similarities between them ended there. Pokey Minch, his longtime neighbor, was easily the last person he wanted to see. Dressed in blue overalls and a white shirt that both strained under his _generous_ proportions, the blond-haired boy was often called "Porky" for obvious reasons. He was without question everyone at school's least favorite person, and Ness might have felt sorry for him if he wasn't so unbearable. Pokey didn't exactly try to make himself more appealing to others.

Any chance of going unnoticed by his neighbor was ruined when one of the officers spotted Ness as well and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Not another one. Get your friend away from here, this place ain't safe for kids!"

Pokey turned to look at him, and his chubby face stretched into a smug grin.

"Ness? Don't be rubberneckin', you'll just get in the way for the cops- oops, 'officers.' Are you here to see it too?"

He realized that he had no idea what was even at the top of the hill.

"See what?"

"The _meteorite,_ of course! I saw it fall with my own eyes! It came from the sky and landed right above us!"

His eyes narrowed at the boy's obnoxious snorts of laughter.

"How did you get out here? Did your parents let you come?"

"Pffft, nah," Pokey replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "They're out at some fancy restaurant and won't be back 'til really late. When I heard somethin' was going on here, I decided to come take a look myself. Picky's still at home, watching the place until I get back."

Ness's frown only curved further downwards. Pokey's younger brother was about Tracy's age, as well as the only decent person in the Minch family. Had it not been for Picky, he might have wished for the so-called meteorite to have landed on his neighbor's house. Hearing that he was alone didn't sit right with Ness, but there wasn't much he could do. Muttering to himself, he did an about-face to walk back home. The police were still refusing to let him or Pokey through, after all.

"Don't worry, buddy!" came a yell from behind him. "I'll tell you all about the meteorite tomorrow!"

His mother was waiting outside their house once he finally returned.

"Welcome back, Ness. Did you find out what happened?"

"Pokey's up there," he muttered. "He says a meteorite landed, but the police got there before us. We can't see it ourselves."

She gave him a patient smile.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Why don't you go back to bed? Maybe it'll be on the news tomorrow."

The walk had at least made him tired again, so he nodded and trudged back upstairs to his room. Ness haphazardly changed into his pajamas and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep in mere moments.

* * *

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

Once again a loud bang startled him from his slumber. This time, however, it was followed by a series of even louder ones. Someone was pounding on the house's door in a random pattern and wasn't stopping. He tried to cover his ears with the pillow to no avail. A bleary-eyed glance at his clock revealed that it was around one in the morning.

 _"_ _Ugh, who the heck is-"_

Ness didn't even have to finish that thought. He only knew one person obnoxious enough to knock on the door in such a way. Growling, he marched out of his room and down the stairs. His mother had also entered the hallway too, looking just as irritated.

"I'll get it, you can go back to bed," she said.

"Don't bother, I'm gonna punch Pokey in the face," he replied, tightening his fists as he approached the still banging door.

He flung it open, fully intent on doing just that. His portly neighbor was on the other side with sweat dripping down his face.

"P-Picky's gone!" he blurted out just as Ness was about to strike.

Though still infuriated, he refrained from punching him.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

Pokey took a deep breath to try and compose himself.

"Right, I brought Picky up the hill to… oh, good evening Mrs. Harris. You're looking _lovely_ , as usual."

He was looking at his mother inside the house with a snicker. She shared Ness's unamused glare at the insincerity of his comment.

"Anyway," Pokey continued, "I decided to bring Picky up to see the meteorite. I thought there was a way to sneak past the cops, but by the time we made it up the hill they were gone. The Sharks were _really_ going wild in town, so they all left to take care of it. When I turned my back for a second, Picky disappeared and I don't know where is now! I blame the cops, it definitely wasn't _my_ fault."

He buried his face in his hands.

"Oh man, my parents are getting home soon! I know I'm gonna get it this time! You're my bestest friend, right Ness? Come on, help me find him!"

As much as he wanted to shut the door to let Pokey face the music, he felt worried about his brother. The Sharks were Onett's local gang, and despite their ridiculous outfits they were a legitimate danger to anyone roaming around at night. Picky being alone in the woods with them nearby could only mean trouble.

"…alright, fine. I'll come with you. Let me just get dressed first."

And that was how the night everything would change for him began.


	2. A Mysterious Visitor

Chapter 2: A Mysterious Visitor

Reluctantly inviting Pokey inside to wait in their living room, Ness ran back upstairs and threw on the same outfit as before. This time, wary of an unfriendly encounter, he also grabbed the first weapon he could find: a wooden baseball bat he'd used when playing on his middle school's team the year before. It had a long crack down the middle from a game-winning home run, to date his proudest achievement. Sentimental value aside, he'd need a new bat soon; this one looked like it would break under too much force.

Tracy met him in the hallway, holding something out to him. It was a cookie, wrapped in tin foil. Where she'd been hiding it beforehand, he didn't care to ask.

"You're going back out again, aren't you? Take this in case you get hungry," she said with a sweet smile.

Grinning and ruffling her hair, he accepted the cookie and put it into his pocket.

"Thanks, Sis. I'm sure this won't take long. Go back to bed, it's late."

"Don't get eaten by the Demogorgon!" she called as he walked down the stairs. Ness chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Finally! I thought you fell asleep up there!"

His good mood was vaporized upon seeing Pokey again, lounging on their futon in front of the TV. He jumped to his feet- with a noticeable "thud" against the carpet- and strolled over to Ness's side.

"Great, let's blow this popsicle stand! Why don't you say goodbye to your mom first, huh buddy?"

His mother ignored Pokey and pointed toward the corner of their kitchen.

"I know he's unreliable, but I think you should bring King with you. He might be able to help you find Picky."

Resembling a large blob of white fur, their lazy sheepdog was fast asleep. He seemed to sense that he was needed and dragged himself to his feet. King trotted over to them with a resigned huff.

"Be careful out there," Ness's mother said as they headed toward the door. "I know you can handle yourself, I just can't help but worry."

"I'll be fine," he reassured her as Pokey and King filed out behind him. All was quiet outside, with the police sirens no longer blaring. The meteorite's glow could still be seen even from the bottom of the hill.

"Let's do this!" his neighbor cheered. "You take the lead, and I'll follow at a safe distance."

Ness muttered a few foul words to himself but clutched the bat in one hand, proceeding up the path toward the top. If they were going to search for Picky, the last place he was would be a good start. King remained by his side, sniffing at the air but not seeming to find the scent.

 _"_ _Man, I hope he's okay…"_

"Ugh, where is he? PIIIICKYYYYY?!" Pokey shouted after barely two minutes of searching. No reply came, at least not until something rustled in the bushes behind them.

"Hm? Someone there?"

Ness started toward it with his bat held close. He didn't feel right about this; if it was Picky then surely he would have said something. King was on edge too, growling at the bush. Pokey, on the other hand, seemed to have no doubts whatsoever and stomped up to it.

"Get out of there, you moron! We're gonna be in trouble if Mom and Dad get home before us!"

"Pokey, hold on a second-"

The bush shook again, and a brown-colored blur shot out of it and knocked him to the ground, snarling. It was another dog, evidently a stray due to its messy and faded fur. Pokey scrambled away from it with a squeal, only for it to turn its attention on Ness. Slightly trembling at the feral look in its eyes, he raised his bat to try and scare it off.

No… not just feral. There was something about the way it growled and lumbered toward him that indicated the dog was acting on more than just defensive instinct. It had a piercing, sinister gaze that was locked directly on Ness in a way that didn't make sense to him.

With a bark that almost sounded like a roar, the wild animal bared its teeth and lunged for him. King intercepted it, ramming into the other dog's side and knocking it away. The two snapped and swiped at one another for a few seconds, with the stray dog gaining the upper hand as it managed to force King to fall down. Ness took the opportunity to close the distance and swung his bat, striking the aggressor on the side. It let go of King but focused on him immediately afterwards. Another swing connected to the top of its head, and it dropped to the ground.

Ness's arms were shaking even more by then, but he stood his ground in case the stray dog decided it wanted to attack again. He'd held back on his swings, not wanting to risk killing the animal but rather scare it off. King, luckily, didn't seem to have suffered more than a few scratches and rejoined him.

Sure enough, the dog was on its feet again in seconds. It looked around in a daze, and Ness noticed that the hostile look in its eyes had vanished. He watched as it moseyed off into the woods again, leaving them alone.

"I-is it gone?" Pokey whimpered. "Why'd it do that?"

King was still tense and continued to stare in its direction for a while. Ness gave him a pat on the head before he kept walking up the trail, beckoning for his two companions to follow.

"I don't know. But we'd better get going, there might be more of them."

His prediction was incorrect, as there weren't any more dogs in sight. There _were_ , however, crows circling overhead. The birds perched on tree branches lining the path leering down at Ness as if daring him to get closer. He held his bat up as he continued forwards, and like he'd feared the crows swooped down at the trio.

Pokey's frightened shrieks came from behind him, but he was occupied with his own crow for the moment. Strangely, as it flitted around before his face he noticed that it was wearing what looked like a pair of pointed sunglasses above its beak. From what he could see, the others had the same accessory.

 _"_ _What's the matter with the animals out here?!"_

The crow dodged a swing of his bat and reared backwards, letting out a caw that sounded more like smug laughter. It flew straight at Ness again, only to be interrupted by King who snatched it out of the air. He snarled and shook the bird as it squawked in panic. The others, noticing its plight, ganged up on King instead. They pecked and scratched at him from all sides while he whimpered and tried to fend them off. Ness, like before, ran to his dog's aid and took a few careful swings. Crows were knocked in every direction, sailing into the trees with some even dropping feathers as they went. Soon there were none left, the rest having gone through the same strange shift in attitude as the stray dog from before. It was as if Ness was literally knocking sense into them.

An odd feeling raced through his head all of a sudden. He felt cold, then feverish, then finally a brief chill passed from his head down to the rest of his body. The sensation was over just as soon as it had come, leaving a faint voice in its wake. It was Ness's own voice, whispering a strange phrase into his head: _"PSI Lifeup: Alpha."_ He didn't have any clue where it had come from or what it meant. King was licking his wounds to the side, bringing his attention back to the moment at hand.

"Thanks for the help, boy," he said as he inspected his dog. The crows had given him several scratches and cuts, but nothing too serious.

(Don't mention it.)

The voice was male and deep in pitch, but didn't come from any discernible source. It echoed in Ness's head as clear as could be despite him not knowing who had said it.

(You can pay me back by giving me some of your steak at dinner.)

Slowly, his eyes drifted back down to King, who was giving him a blank stare with his tongue slightly hanging out.

"Did… did _you_ say that…?"

His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and he wondered if he was losing his mind. There was no way he'd been hearing things; the voice was too clear. His dog had just telepathically communicated with him. Whether King secretly had magic powers or he himself did, Ness wasn't sure. He didn't have much time to think about it, however, as Pokey was speaking up again.

"T-the crows are gone? Uh… of course they are! I must've scared 'em off! Ha! You owe me one, Ness."

(Can I bite him? Please?)

King's voice rang in his head again, causing him to flinch. Not wanting his neighbor to think he was crazy- he didn't need _another_ reason to inflate his ego- Ness didn't say anything back and just gave King a rub on his side.

"I think we're near the top of the hill," he said. "Let's go, Picky must be around here somewhere."

(I haven't smelled him yet. It's hard to smell _anything_ when his brother's around.)

Though he hadn't fully gotten over the shock that King could speak in some fashion, Ness smirked and gave him a nod in agreement.

The only other wild animal they encountered for the remainder of the walk was a snake which attempted to wrap itself around whoever it could find. "Attempted" was the operative word; it was so small that even Pokey sent it packing with a terrified kick. Given his relief at not having to fight another murder of crows, Ness didn't mind his neighbor's gloating over the minor victory. They passed by Lier X. Agerate's house (thankfully he had gone back inside) and soon enough were walking up the final stretch of the hill toward where the meteorite had landed.

Ness could feel the heat even before it came into view. An orange, almost perfectly spherical object was half buried in the dirt, still emitting a great deal of light. The way it had landed was unusual, as nothing else around it appeared to have been damaged. No ashes or fires, or even displaced dirt could be seen in the vicinity. It looked more like it had been a controlled landing than a crash. Staring at the meteorite gave Ness a chill of apprehension, which was evidently shared by King.

(Awooof! If I'd known this would be so scary, I wouldn't have come at all! I'm out of here!)

Before Ness could stop him, his dog had ran down the hill back toward his house. He turned back toward the meteorite, confident that King would make it home safely.

"This is creepier than I thought…" Pokey whispered. "Can we go now?"

"You're the one who wanted to find Picky, we're not going anywhere," he snapped. "Come on, he might still be around here."

The two split up to search around the hilltop, though it didn't take long for Ness to hear the faint sound of snoring. He checked behind the tree he'd heard it from and saw a small boy curled up in a ball, looking at peace despite being so close to the meteorite.

"Picky's over here!" he called, giving the boy a gentle shake. He had the same head of blond hair as his brother, and even the same style of a bowl cut partially covering his eyes. Picky wore a simple black shirt and light blue pants, both of which had a bit of dirt on them from where he'd been sleeping.

"Hm…? Oh, hey Ness," he yawned, sitting up. "What're you doing here?"

"THERE you are!" Pokey yelled as he stomped over. "We've been lookin' forever, where've you been?"

" _You_ have?" Picky said. "You're the one who got scared and ran away when we heard the Sharks were out. I bet you didn't even realize you left me behind until you got back home."

Ness shot Pokey a glare, to which he gave a nervous laugh. Of course he'd run off in fear, that made far more sense than the police kidnapping his brother.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay," Picky continued. "We should probably get home, Mom and Dad must be worried sick about us. Sometimes I wonder which of us the big brother really is…"

Satisfied that they'd succeeded, Ness turned to begin the walk down the hill when Pokey called for them to stop. Irritated, he turned to face him.

"What's the matter?"

"Don't you hear it?" he replied. "It's a sort of buzzing sound, like a bee…"

Now that Pokey mentioned it, Ness could in fact hear something buzzing nearby. He didn't understand the significance until he realized it was coming from the meteorite, which was beginning to glow even brighter.

"W-whoa! Is it gonna explode?!"

A beam of yellow light erupted from the top and shot high into the air, causing the three boys to recoil and cover their eyes.

"Ngh- what is that?" Pokey yelled over the buzz, which had grown deafening by that point.

Something was emerging from the meteorite, floating in midair before them. As the light finally faded, Ness could see that it was some kind of insect. It resembled a beetle, with a light brown shell and a long horn coming off the front of its head. The bug rotated in midair, as if turning to look at each of them.

"A bee I am… not," it said aloud. Its voice was distinctly male, though a bit garbled and nasal-sounding.

"W-what is it?! Is it an alien?! Ness, hit it with your bat!" Pokey shrieked, stepping away from the bug.

"I am not your enemy," he continued with an urgent tone in his voice. "You may call me Buzz Buzz, and technically I am also not an alien. I'm from ten years in the future, and where I come from… all is devastation."

Ness stared transfixed at the insect, which was now looking directly at him.

"You… and your red cap… did your friend say your name is Ness?"

He nodded without a word.

"Oh man, I bet it's gonna try to abduct us and eat our brains-"

"Shut _up_ , Pokey!" Picky hissed. "I think he just wants to talk."

"I wish no harm on any of you," Buzz Buzz insisted. "This world is in grave danger, and I believe you, Ness, are the secret to its salvation. I will tell you more soon, but for now we must find shelter. This place is unsafe."

Though he was completely overwhelmed by how suddenly the address had come, Ness didn't have time to even begin processing it. A gray light flashed before them, leaving behind a tall figure that blocked the path down the hill. It was like nothing he'd ever seen, having a sleek gray body with slim legs and tentacle-looking arms ending in sharp points, resting on its hips as if to sass them. Its face- if it could even be called that- was little more than a black visor, behind which nothing could be seen. A black insignia was visible on the front of its chest.

"There you are… it has been a long time, Buzz Buzz," the towering _thing_ said in a whirring, robotic voice. "You've evaded Master Giygas's grasp for too long, and now your luck has run out. You are no hero, merely a fugitive. This is where you meet your end… under my boot like the useless bug you are!"


	3. The Chosen One

Chapter 3: The Chosen One

Ness was forced into action immediately when the surprise visitor swung one of its long arms at them. Pokey and Picky had backed away the moment it showed up, and were out of its range. He, on the other hand, had to leap back just in time to feel a slight wind blow past from the attack. His bat was tightly gripped in his hands, not that he felt it would matter in the current situation.

"Be on guard!" Buzz Buzz shouted, hovering close to Ness. "This is a Junior-Class Starman, a minion of our adversary!"

The robotic-looking entity had mentioned a "Giygas," who he could only assume was the one in question. That could be worried about later, though, as the Starman Junior was attacking again. It brought both arms down to try and crush Ness, who sidestepped the blow. While it seemed to possess immense physical strength, it was lacking in agility.

After dodging the strike, Ness found himself right beside his opponent. He took the opportunity to fight back, swinging his bat into the Starman Junior's side. A small dent appeared in the metallic substance making it up, but otherwise he'd done very little against it. One of its arms whipped around and caught him in the stomach, throwing him back a good four yards.

Ness, trying to regain his breath, staggered to his feet and raised his bat again. The enemy's visor changed from black to a dim red, beginning to emit an increasingly bright flare. Buzz Buzz, still hovering nearby, responded with a frantic shout.

"PSI Shield: Sigma!"

A flash of light enveloped the area, and Ness found himself covered by a translucent purple barrier. Not a moment too soon, as the Starman Junior unleashed its own attack, still speaking in a low drone.

"PK Fire: Alpha."

The red glow from its visor erupted in a scorching wave of flames that coursed over Ness, who covered his eyes at the last second before impact. To his astonishment, he didn't feel any pain at all. Despite how strong the attack had been, Buzz Buzz's shield completely nullified it, and the flames disappeared. He looked behind him to see that Pokey, Picky, and the insect himself all had similar force fields.

"My PSI Shield will keep you safe!" Buzz Buzz yelled. "Come, we can defeat it together!"

Mustering up all his courage, Ness rushed forward again with his bat raised. The Starman Junior attempted another fire attack, only for it to have no effect whatsoever like the first. He didn't understand what "PSI" was, but he was glad to have it protecting him.

He closed the distance and took a second swing at the metallic foe, whacking it in one of its thin legs. This time his strike had a noticeable impact, as the Starman Junior buckled and nearly fell over. Buzz Buzz followed up by ramming into it himself, causing their enemy to stumble backwards. It regained its composure soon enough, thrusting one of its arms forth again to try and skewer Ness. Though he was able to leap aside and avoid it, his dodge had evidently been expected, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the other arm speeding toward him before he could react.

The tendril never hit him, however, as a rock suddenly collided with the Starman Junior's visor and disrupted its aim. Ness was able to fall back to a safe distance while it tried to reorient itself. He looked to his left, seeing Picky stoop down to grab another rock. Pokey was hiding behind a tree, whimpering.

"Yeah, take that! I can help too!"

His second projectile unfortunately didn't do as much, simply being swatted out of the air this time. The Starman Junior took a thundering step toward them, its visor glowing a much brighter red.

"Your insolence displeases me, as do your PSI Shields. To guarantee success, I will have to unleash my full power… disabling PSI inhibitor systems! PK Fire: Omeg-"

A loud "clang" cut it off when Buzz Buzz crashed into it from behind, sending the robot lurching forwards and even falling over. As it collapsed, Ness took careful aim and swung his bat as hard as he could. His strike collided head-on with the Starman Junior's visor just before it hit the ground, completely shattering it and damaging the exposed wiring inside. The defeated enemy lay in a sparking, motionless heap before them.

Just like earlier, Ness felt a strange sensation pass over his body. Another phrase reverberated in his mind: _"PSI Hypnosis: Alpha."_

"D… did we win?" Picky asked, holding a third stone in a trembling hand.

Buzz Buzz sighed in relief.

"Yes, we have overcome this threat. It has been following me for a long time now, even chasing me back in time to kill me…"

"What _was_ it?" Ness panted, his hands on his knees.

"A pawn of Giygas, the universal cosmic destroyer. He hails from a far-off world and has come to invade your planet. It is he who is responsible for the future of chaos, and the reason I have traveled through time to find you. In my time, there is a legend among those of us who still resist Giygas: 'This darkness may not be defeated, but prevented altogether. The key to victory lays in the hands of the past, with a chosen few humans who will shatter the nightmare.'"

Ness's heart was still pounding, but he listened as intently as he could. The story seemed so unbelievable to him, yet fighting against a robot from the future only moments before made him a bit more open-minded.

"Though the legend itself does not specify who will defeat Giygas, I'm certain you are among these 'chosen few,'" Buzz Buzz continued. "From the moment I saw you, I could feel that my suspicions were accurate. There exists an artifact called the Apple of Enlightenment in my time, which revealed a boy in a red cap as the hero. You look nearly identical to him, of this I am sure."

"Hold on," Ness said aloud, trying not to stammer. "How am I supposed to save the world? I'm just a kid, I can't do this…"

Buzz Buzz hovered just in front of him, looking into his eyes.

"I sense… potential in you. Great potential. Just as I can utilize PSI abilities, you can as well with proper training. Have you ever experienced something you couldn't comprehend, perhaps a change in yourself?"

He waved for the Minch brothers to follow him down the hill now that the threat had been dealt with. They still needed to get home soon, and his own family was likely wondering what was taking him so long. As they walked, he contemplated the question.

"I… yes, actually. Earlier, before we got to the meteorite, I was suddenly able to hear what my dog was thinking. It was like he could talk to me, without actually talking…"

Ness thought further back into his life, and came to realize something he'd written off as coincidental until then.

"A-and sometimes, when I get really angry, I notice that small things… _move_ near me. I always thought I was just knocking into them, but are you saying this is all because of that PSI stuff?"

"Precisely," Buzz Buzz responded. He had landed on Ness's shoulder for the time being. "You are more than an ordinary boy; you possess abilities the likes of which most humans could never imagine. With enough effort, I have no doubt you'll become a master wielder of PSI."

This was all reminding Ness of a book that came out recently, about a boy who learned he was a wizard and had many adventures as he learned about his powers.

"Whoa, I'm kinda jealous…" Picky murmured behind them. He was hanging onto every word the insect said, while his brother didn't seem to be paying attention at all.

Ness felt a weight settle in his stomach, the task thrust upon him causing no shortage of worry. Was he really expected to defeat an alien invader? Buzz Buzz had mentioned there would be others, so at least he wasn't alone if that was true, but it was no less daunting to his thirteen-year-old mind.

Lier X. Agerate was waiting outside his house and grinned widely at them as they passed.

"Nice night for a walk, kids? Better be careful, I hear those Sharks are around."

He looked at Ness, beckoning for him to come over.

"Buddy, c'mere a sec! I found something I think you'll like. Only you're allowed to see it, though. Your friends can wait outside."

Not exactly eager to enter the hermit's house by himself, he didn't approach.

"Hm… I don't sense any hostility from him," Buzz Buzz murmured into his ear. "What could he want to show you? Perhaps you should investigate."

"Y-you're not just gonna leave us here, are you?" Pokey whined. "We have to get home soon! What if another one of those space-things comes?"

Far too tired at that point to argue either way, Ness began to walk toward Lier's shack. Buzz Buzz flew away from his shoulder, promising to watch over the Minch brothers until he returned.

"Fine, what is it?"

"Hehe, don't worry. This'll just take a second," Lier replied, opening the door to his house.

Ness followed him inside and instantly wrinkled his nose at the rancid smell. The place reeked of garlic and dust, with beaten-up furniture strewn everywhere. His feelings of trepidation weren't helped by Lier opening up a trapdoor in the middle of the small room, leading to a ladder into the darkness below. For a moment he wondered if he'd rather go back outside and join Buzz Buzz on his quest than risk winding up in the hermit's murder dungeon.

"C'mon, just follow me! It's right over here!" came his voice.

Sighing, Ness descended the ladder and found himself in a tunneled-out cave, dimly lit by a portable lamp. He turned around to see Lier standing with something that admittedly caught his attention… and held it.

It was some kind of golden statue, much taller than either of them. Though it had a distinctly human shape, there were no details on it apart from a set of unsettling slanted eyes etched into its face, appearing to glow a faint red. Two long, curved horns protruded from the top of its head, and in its hands the statue held a long sword, pointed straight at the ground. Staring at it gave Ness an odd feeling of desire, like he wanted to take it away with him even if it meant having to attack Lier in the process. It was pulling at him, whispering his name… it belonged to him, after all the trouble he went through…

He blinked, snapping himself out of that weird trance. Ness turned away from the statue as its new owner boasted about how he'd uncovered a grand treasure. Within seconds, Lier too was staring transfixed at it. He decided to leave before anything else could happen, though the mysterious artifact left him with a great sense of unease.

Buzz Buzz and the others were still waiting outside, and rejoined him for the remainder of the trip home. Thankfully, nothing else interrupted them on the way save for Pokey's endless complaints about how much trouble they would be in. His prediction proved correct, as once they reached the Minch household to find their father's car in the driveway he let out a resigned moan.

"Oh man, now we're gonna get it…"

Picky turned to Ness with a small grin.

"I don't care what happens, I at least got to see the meteorite and meet a time-traveling bug. We even beat an alien together, right?"

He returned the grin, though inwardly felt worried about him. It was no secret that Aloysius and Lardna Minch were horrible parents, and he wondered if that had contributed to Pokey being so unpleasant. Of course, that didn't excuse his behavior seeing as his brother was such a nice kid despite their upbringing. Ness sighed he watched them walk up their porch and into the house. Shouting could be heard immediately, as well as Pokey's frightened blubbering.

"I hope those two will be okay," Buzz Buzz murmured. "Even the older one. He seems… troubled. Should we have walked in with them?"

"Not much we could have done," he said. "Besides, their mom might've tried to squash you if she saw you in her house. She hates bugs."

The door opened, and Aloysius Minch stepped out. Like his older son, he was a portly man with short blond hair. His fancy suit, overall build, and unpleasant sneer gave the impression of a cartoon villain as he looked down at Ness.

"Picky says you brought him home safely, boy. Is that right?"

He nodded without a word, not interested in prolonged conversation with his neighbor.

"Hmph. They snuck out _and_ troubled you? They're both gonna get it now."

"Really, sir, it was no problem," Ness began, imagining what Aloysius could have in mind for his sons. "I didn't mind-"

"Don't talk back to me!" he roared. "Just because you have such a lousy father, that doesn't give you the right to challenge authority! I've had to loan that man a lot of money we never got back, you know that? It's gotta be a hundred thousand dollars or more!"

Aloysius stomped back into his house and slammed the door before Ness could say anything back. He was _fuming_ ; his father had barely even been loaned a hundred dollars, and he'd paid that back a long time ago. How dare he accuse anyone of being a bad parent when-

"Ness," Buzz Buzz whispered in an alarmed tone. "Your hands…"

He looked down to see small stubs of splintered wood clutched in each fist, with the rest of his old bat's remains scattered across the ground before him. A faint purple haze was engulfing his hands for just a moment, but faded away quickly. He hadn't even noticed in his anger.

"That… was that PSI?" Ness gaped.

"Yes, but unlike any I've ever seen. Curious… in any case, you have not answered my question. Will you take up the task of stopping Giygas and saving your world?"

His head was killing him and his whole body felt heavy. Ness stumbled back toward his house, walking inside as quietly as he could.

"I… don't know. I'll have to sleep on it; I'm exhausted right now."

When they got back to his room, Buzz Buzz rested himself down on his nightstand as he flopped into bed.

"Very well, I suppose you won't be able to make an informed decision without rest. Please, consider everything that I have said…"

Ness barely heard him, as sleep came within moments.

* * *

High up on the hill, beside the meteorite, the destroyed Starman Junior's body continued to spark and twitch. It wasn't completely without function, however, as its internal communication system was still barely intact.

"Broadcasting retrieval signal… n-new target identified. 'Ness' possesses latent abilities that he has yet to fully realize. The escapee is with him… the time has come to deploy the guardians to their designated locations. We must not allow them to reach the Sanctuaries. Furthermore, the artifact has been uncovered near my position. Inform Commander Megane that our operation is ready to begin…"

With a low hum, the Starman Junior finally ran out of power and stopped moving.

 **End of Introduction**


	4. Setting Out (Eventually)

**Part One: Adventure Calls**

Chapter 4: Setting Out... Eventually

Ness blearily opened his eyes and sat up in bed. A look at his clock revealed it to be almost eleven, which confused him. Even on summer vacation, he wasn't one to sleep in _that_ late…

Oh. Right.

The memories of last night came back to him all at once, and any chances of it just being a dream were dashed when he turned his head to see Buzz Buzz still sitting on his nightstand. The insect was already awake, looking up at Ness with his beady eyes.

"Good morning. How do you feel?"

He stretched his limbs.

"Not as sore as I was expecting, even with all that PSI stuff. Actually, I don't feel tired at all."

Buzz Buzz made a sound that might have been a chuckle.

"It may be an awesome power, but something as simple as a good night's rest can recover your PSI energy. Now then, have you decided?"

He sighed, recalling the enormous task he'd been given.

"Well… I guess if you say I'm the chosen one or whatever, then I _have_ to do it…"

"The choice is entirely yours, Ness," said Buzz Buzz. "If it is of any interest to you, your family will not mind if you leave."

He raised a brow at that comment.

"How would you know that?"

"You've slept in rather late. Your mother came in to check on you, and she saw me on your desk. I was quick to explain the situation to her, as well as your impressive abilities. To be honest, she was surprisingly accepting of my… admittedly far-fetched tale. I reassured her I would be accompanying you."

Ness wasn't sure what compelled his mom to accept all that, but if he had to go save the world then he was glad Buzz Buzz wouldn't be abandoning him for it.

"…sure, I'll do it. I'll fight this Giygas. Where do we even begin?"

"Get yourself ready first. I shall explain soon enough."

He got out of bed, changed, and grabbed his yellow backpack. Something told him this would be a long adventure, so he needed to prepare. He packed several fresh outfits, various small toiletries, some spare cash he had in a drawer, a flashlight with extra batteries, the cookie his sister had handed him the night before, and his personal ATM card given to him by his father. Putting his red baseball cap back on, he was as ready to go as he could be.

True to Buzz Buzz's word, his mother, Tracy, and King were all waiting for him in the hallway. They had bittersweet looks on their faces, and it only just struck him that he would really be leaving home.

"Good luck out there, Ness. You're a strong, brave boy, and I know you'll do just fine as long as you stay sharp. If anyone can save the world, I'm sure it's you. And you're always welcome to come back at any time, you know."

He fought down the growing lump in his throat.

"Thanks, Mom…"

Tracy held out something clumsily wrapped in tin foil like the cookie.

"Here you go, I made you some sandwiches for your adventure. I think they're a little messy though."

"I'm sure they're fine, thanks."

(Ness! Make sure you get back home soon!)

King's thoughts echoed in his head again, and the dog wandered over to give his fingers a lick.

"E-everyone…"

He couldn't believe this was really happening. As exciting as the thought of going on an adventure was, he never imagined he'd really do it. Of course, leaving home was just as difficult for him…

Ness put on a brave face and gave his family a hug.

"Thank you all. I'll do my best!"

They walked with him downstairs and through their house toward the door. He'd never really appreciated the comfortable home until then, as he looked all around one last time. His journey would begin the moment he stepped outside.

"Oh right, why don't you give Dad a call before you leave?" his mother said. "I filled him in on everything earlier, but I'm sure he'd like to talk to you himself."

His father was away on a business trip and wouldn't be back for a while. Although his job (Ness never did find out what exactly he did for a living) demanded a great deal of time from him, he always managed to be there for his family when it mattered… except for when his son was about to set off on a conquest against an alien invasion. Still, he kept them out of debt so he wouldn't complain too much.

Ness dialed his number, and the call was answered within two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dad. I'm about to head out."

"So I've heard," he chuckled. Even through the phone his father's warm tone made Ness feel more confident. "Look at you, off on a big adventure to save the world. You're becoming a fine young man, and I know you'll take care of this no problem."

"Heh… I don't know if it'll be _that_ easy."

"Maybe you're right," his father replied. "Work 'til exhaustion when you're young… ever hear of a weird saying like that? Saving the world's no cakewalk, for sure, but just know that I'm behind you one-hundred percent of the way. Use your ATM card to buy anything you need; I'll add a bit of money to your account whenever I can. I've decided to keep a record of your adventure as well, so call me now and then and I'll update it for you."

Ness smiled.

"Thanks Dad. I could use all the help I can get."

"Ha ha, I feel like such a hero… well, the father of a hero anyway! I won't hold you up any longer, get out there and do your best!"

He hung up and walked back over to the door, waving goodbye to his family one final time.

 _"_ _I just hope I get to see them again…"_

Ness stepped out at last, taking in the warm summer air. With Buzz Buzz on his shoulder and the skies clear, he was finally ready to begin his adventure.

…at least, until something else interrupted him.

Like another celestial object crashing to earth, a thin dark blur rocketed toward the ground from above, coming to a dead stop just before impact and gently settling down. Despite having been startled witless by that, Ness could identify the thing as a very tall man, dressed in a black suit and top hat with glasses and an impressive golden beard.

"Say 'fuzzy pickles,' kiddo!"

"Fuzzy wha-"

Already caught off-guard, he couldn't possibly prepare for the flash of light that directly followed the man's confusing statement. He rubbed the ensuing blindness out of his eyes and shot him a glare upon noticing the camera held in his large hands.

"What's the big idea?"

"Pictures taken instantaneously!" the man bellowed. "I'm here to document your adventure, so I'll be dropping in now and then. I _am_ a photographic genius, if I do say so myself."

He looked at the freshly-printed photo (no doubt of Ness's shocked expression) and smirked.

"Oh yeah, that'll always bring back the fondest of memories… well, see ya around!"

Just as swiftly as he'd arrived, the photographer zoomed back into the sky and was gone.

"…you know what?" Ness said after a moment of stunned silence. "That was probably the weirdest thing I've seen yet, including the Starman Junior."

"I agree," Buzz Buzz mumbled. "Er, I hope we can truly begin now."

They could, as nothing else appeared on the scene to interrupt the pair. Ness began walking down the road into the typical suburban town of Onett, intent on a visit to the drugstore. He would need a new weapon with his bat broken.

"Where am I supposed to find this Giygas?" he asked as the town's small buildings came into view.

"I don't believe he has arrived just yet," said Buzz Buzz. "However, his evil influence has no doubt begun to spread across your world. To properly combat him, you must channel your PSI power through the Earth at eight special places called Sanctuaries. Then you will be able to confront him and put a stop to his plans. However…"

He gave a concerned hum.

"My knowledge of their locations is limited. I do know that the first is reportedly nearby, here in Onett, but I have no more specific information. Do you know of any special place in this area?"

They had reached the sidewalk at the north end of town and were walking toward the drugstore, passing by various other small shops along the way. Ness and other neighborhood kids had explored most of the areas around Onett over the years, but he wasn't sure if anything they'd found would be considered "Sanctuary material." He also didn't know what to look for. A hidden temple, maybe?

 _"_ _Think, Ness… think… you're supposed to connect to the planet or whatever…"_

He felt his body stiffen, and for a split second an image flashed through his head. It showed him a place he'd only been to once, a flat hilltop in the bluffs just north of town. The spot wasn't too memorable save for a gigantic indentation in the dirt, shaped like a human footprint complete with toes.

"Whoa, I just had some kinda vision that showed me somewhere! There's a place around here called Giant Step, which might be it. I know how to get there, too."

"Excellent! And I can already feel your PSI abilities strengthening," Buzz Buzz said with a hint of pride. "Let us be off then, we have much to do."

Ness stopped in at the drugstore and picked up a new wooden bat. He'd really wanted an aluminum one, but it was far too pricey and his father hadn't left any money for his ATM account yet. Besides, against an extraterrestrial overlord he wasn't sure how much good a bat of _any_ material would be.

Conveniently, the store wasn't far from the path up to Giant Step. _Inconveniently_ , an immediate problem presented itself. A small shack was on top of the entrance to the cave leading up, with a heavy-looking metal door blocking their way. Barbed wire fences offered further deterrence, leaving them at a roadblock more daunting than the local police wished they could put up. There was no other way around, and Ness wasn't exactly equipped to mountain climb.

"This is a problem… now what?"

"Not as much of a problem as _you_ are," came a sneering reply from behind him.

Ness spun around to see a boy not much older than him standing a few yards back, holding a skateboard. His black leather clothing and the distinctive fin on his gray helmet gave his identity away easily: he was a member of the Sharks. From behind his black-lensed goggles, his eyes leered warningly.

"This is part of our territory now, y'hear? The boss doesn't want people going up to Giant Step, so if you don't want a beatin' you'd better step off, pal."

"Does he have the key to this door?" Ness asked, clutching his new bat.

The Shark grinned at him.

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Not like it matters to you, since I'm about to send you crying home to mommy!"

He shredded on his skateboard toward him, winding up a fist as he rapidly closed the distance. Ness wasn't intimidated and raised his bat. If the Shark wanted a fight, he was about to get one.

"Eat it, sucker!"

At the last second his opponent kicked up the back of his skateboard and leaped off, sending it flying into his stomach. He stumbled back with a "whuff" of air, lowering his bat to clutch at the injured spot. The Shark took the chance to strike again, throwing a punch at his face. Ness just barely managed to avoid in time and took revenge by smashing his bat into the costumed boy's groin. He gave a squeal and doubled over, allowing him to be kicked to the ground.

Ness stood above him and raised his bat yet again, ready to bring it down on his face if he had to. He didn't want to seriously hurt this person, but he needed information.

"Talk. Does your boss have the key?"

"Y-yes! He does!" the Shark blubbered. "Frank's in the back of the arcade, thinkin' about peace and love or whatever. I dunno why he locked the door, he just kept muttering 'don't let him get to Giant Step' whenever we were around. Something's up with him."

Satisfied, he took his foot off his chest and let the boy stand up.

"Good to know. Get out of here, and don't let me catch you making trouble again."

The Shark whimpered and took off on his skateboard, rounding a corner of the street before disappearing.

"Well fought, Ness," Buzz Buzz said. "You handled yourself well. I expect you'll have to fight more humans whose evil thoughts have been corrupted by Giygas, not unlike the animals… be prepared for that."

"I'll do my best," he sighed. "Why didn't you help me there?"

The insect appeared to laugh.

"You must become stronger along your journey. Experience is required, you know."

"Yeah, yeah… well, let's pay a visit to 'Frank' and get that key."

Bat in hand, he marched down the road toward the local arcade and the first obstacle of his journey.


	5. Jumping the Sharks

Chapter 5: Jumping the Sharks

The southern half of Onett was, to Ness's displeasure, crawling with more leather-clad teenagers. Sharks hung around every street corner, some lazily patrolling the area but most just wandering aimlessly. Nobody tried to stop them, as they somehow hit the perfect balance of being just threatening enough to inconvenience the townsfolk but not so dangerous that Onett's astoundingly apathetic police would put in the effort to keep them under control. Had the Sharks not been so obsessed with appearing tough and aloof, they might even have made for a better security force.

As it was, they could be seen holding passers-by up (demanding surprisingly low "taxes," often of less than five dollars) and shouting the occasional rude word. Ness's victory against the skate punk proved to him that they were only dangerous in large numbers… which they just so happened to be. His misfortune didn't stop there.

"That's the one! With the red cap!"

The skateboarder Shark he'd beaten was standing a bit up the road, glowering at him and pointing him out to a group of four other members. Each of them wielded pogo sticks, save for one who was twirling a plastic hula hoop around his waist.

"Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?" Ness challenged, resting his bat against his shoulder. He was outnumbered, but they lacked weapons and looked rather scrawny to tell the truth.

"Nobody disrespects the Sharks!" the skater growled. "Get 'im!"

"Yeah, nobody!" parroted the hula-hooping one in a higher pitched voice. "We're gonna beat you good!"

He received a light slap to the back of the head from the skater.

"Shut _up_ , ya stupid yes man! Just go get him already!"

The three pogo-riding Sharks bounced toward Ness as if intending to trample him. One stumbled and face-planted on the sidewalk, while another overshot him and had to arduously bounce in a circle or risk falling over. That left only one more to deal with, but unlike the other two goons he seemed to know what he was doing. He threw a sideways kick at Ness from his pogo stick, striking him in the chest and knocking him off-balance. The skater used the opportunity to shove him as he rolled past. Buzz Buzz, like before, wasn't contributing to the fight except to talk to him.

"You got overconfident, and now they have you surrounded. Focus, you can still win! Try using your PSI."

"I don't know how!" he protested in a hushed voice.

"If you've learned new abilities, you should be able to utilize them by merely speaking them aloud. Remember how I and the Starman Junior did it?"

The yes-man Shark was charging forward, swinging his hula hoop as he ran. Ness recalled one of the things that had been whispered in his head when he'd felt the cold flashes and acted on impulse. He pointed a finger at the approaching foe and spoke aloud.

"P… PSI Hypnosis: Alpha!"

In an instant, the Shark's stride faltered and he collapsed to the ground in a heap, gently snoring. His cohorts stared at him with their mouths agape, just as surprised as Ness himself was (not that he let it show).

"I… can't believe that worked…"

He didn't have time to appreciate it before a splitting pain tore through his skull and made him stumble. One of the pogo punks had snuck up behind him, slamming the end of his stick down on the back of Ness's head. Blinking dazed tears out of his eyes, he spun around and smashed his bat into the Shark's head in response. He went down just as easily as the yes man.

 _"_ _It hurts… what was that other one I heard?"_

Ness felt blood trickle from the spot he'd been hit in. He pointed at the back of his head and tried to recall the name of his ability before the three remaining foes attacked again.

"PSI Lifeup: Alpha."

He hadn't consciously said it; the enchantment had just come to him in a flash. Ness felt a warm sensation overtake him, and within seconds the pain and bleeding stopped altogether. The two pogo punks still standing and the skate punk were giving him uneasy looks.

"D-dudes… this kid's got, like, MAGIC!"

They were all hesitating to approach him now. Ness smirked and decided to use this to his advantage.

"Yeah, that's right. And if you come at me again, I'll use my… uh, 'Crashing Boom-Bang Attack!'"

That improvised threat was enough to frighten them off, and they scattered in all directions away from him, leaving their two downed buddies behind. Buzz Buzz, still perched on his shoulder, hummed in affirmation.

"You see? I told you there was potential in you. You've learned the Alpha levels of two valuable abilities, and you'll only obtain more as you go on."

Slightly winded but not in overall bad shape, Ness continued to walk toward the arcade. Fortune smiled upon him, as no other Sharks stood in his way.

"What does the 'Alpha' mean?" he asked.

"PSI and PK techniques range in different levels of potency, with Alpha being the weakest. The more experienced you become, the more powerful levels you can reach."

That was a promising start, he figured. More to learn, and more to work toward as he took down Giygas's forces. He wondered if any of the other "chosen humans" could use PSI as well.

The arcade was Onett's southernmost building, with a dimly-lit interior and dark carpeting. Once a popular hangout for local kids after school, it had effectively become the headquarters of the Sharks. A pogo-wielding member was stationed outside on guard duty, but Ness was able to sneak up behind him and deliver a swift blow to the back of his head, putting him down instantly.

He strolled inside and came across three more Sharks who turned away from the machines they'd been playing at to attack him. Three short uses of Hypnosis later, they had each fallen where they stood in quick succession and snored away on the floor. Ness still had a finger pointed out in case someone else decided to approach. There was one more Shark hidden in the corner of the room, but after watching his cohorts be effortlessly taken down he whimpered and shied away from Ness, going back to his arcade game. A grin crept onto the boy's face.

"Not gonna lie, Buzz Buzz… that felt _really_ cool to do! I'm like an action movie hero, sweeping through the bad guys by myself!"

He did notice that he felt rather drained from it, though. Using his abilities so much at once took more out of him than he'd expected, which Buzz Buzz commented on as well.

"That was impressive, yes. But be sure to pace yourself, or else you could run out of PSI energy in a tight situation."

"Heh, I know. I'll be careful. Let's go find Frank and get the key."

That first step didn't take long. A door in the back of the arcade led to the yard behind it, featureless except for a large tree with several bushes around its base. Only one other person was there, staring up at the sky in contemplation. He tilted his head down to look at Ness when he arrived.

"Hm…? Who are you? Lookin' to join the Sharks, kid? You've come to the right guy. I'm Frank Fly, the leader."

He was a good deal taller than Ness, wearing sunglasses, fancy black shoes, and a red pinstripe suit that was only half buttoned-up to reveal a white dress shirt underneath. In keeping with his gang's motif, he wore a shark-tooth necklace and his blond hair was spiked up at the top like a fin. His hands were behind his back, almost in a polite gesture, but his hollow cheeks and thin smile gave off an imposing feel.

"I'm not here to join. My name's Ness, and I need the key to get up to Giant Step."

Frank's lips curled into a frown. His body was trembling for some reason.

"Ness, huh? You… you can't go up there. You can't get to the Sanctuary, I won't allow it!"

"Giygas must be influencing him to stop you already," Buzz Buzz murmured. "Be careful, there's no telling what he'll do."

"I don't want to fight," Ness said. "Just hand me the key and promise to stop causing trouble around town, and nobody else has to get hurt."

The gang's leader smirked, withdrawing a pair of thin daggers from somewhere in his suit. He casually twirled them around in his fingers, a sight which made Ness gulp in anticipation.

"Is that right? You think you can beat Fail-Proof Frank? You've got guts, kid… _let's remove them, shall we?_ "

In a red flash, he lunged for Ness and swung a knife at him. He barely managed to duck under the slash, rolling aside to put more distance between them. As he stood up he pointed at Frank with a finger.

"PSI Hypnosis: Alpha!"

His opponent shuddered but didn't fall asleep. The technique had barely even slowed him down, and he sprang again. This time, Ness stood his ground and warded him off with a close swing of his bat. Frank backpedaled, snarling at him.

"He can resist Hypnosis? Troubling…" Buzz Buzz said into his ear.

"Can't you give me that shield thing again?" Ness replied, desperately trying to avoid the next swipe.

"PSI Shield only affects other PSI abilities. It's useless against these physical strikes."

With that cheering thought in mind, he kicked one of his feet out and hit Frank hard in the knee as he was preparing another attack. The Shark boss growled and swung a knife back, this time landing a blow. Ness scampered away from him, sporting a cut on his upper arm. He wasn't losing a serious amount of blood, but it stung badly in the open air.

Frank wasn't uninjured either, as he was now limping on his good leg. He was gripping his knives so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Letting out a hyena-like cackle, he threw one of them straight at Ness.

"Whoa!"

He stepped aside just in time for it to sail past and embed itself in the wooden fence surrounding the yard. With his enemy less armed now, he ran toward Frank again and raised his bat. Ness's charge was interrupted when a firm kick to his stomach caused him to stop dead in his tracks, which might have been literal due to the following slash with the second knife. He stumbled back and managed to escape death by inches, though the outer skin of his chest had sustained a cut.

Doing his best to ignore the pain, he continued to rush Frank and finally succeeded in hitting him with his bat. His sunglasses were sent flying off from the direct blow to his head, exposing his pale brown eyes. Ness didn't let up, taking another swing at his stomach.

"Argh! Enough!"

His enemy retreated behind the bushes, whereupon a strange mechanical puffing sound could be heard.

"Fail-Proof Frank can't be beaten! Say hello to 'Frankystein Mark II!'"

Nothing could have prepared Ness for what rolled into view. It was a robot covered in bronze-colored plate armor, from the tank-like treads at its bottom to the humanoid body making up its top half. Frank could be seen through a black glass window on the robot's midsection, attached to which were a pair of thick metal arms ending in white, gloved fists. Its head resembled his face, perplexingly.

Frankystein threw a punch at Ness, moving faster than its bulky design suggested. He was caught directly in the chest, making his cut sting even worse on top of throwing him to the ground.

"PSI Lifeup: Alpha…"

His wounds were repaired and the bleeding stopped, but he was exhausted by then. The tank emitted a short burst of steam from a tailpipe on its treads before rolling at him again.

"It must have to recharge between movements," Buzz Buzz commented. "Perhaps you can use that to your advantage."

Ness got back up just in time to avoid Frankystein smashing its fists on the ground where he'd been. He struck its arm with his bat, only for the shock of the impact to spread into his own arms. Its torso spun around to punch him again, but in doing so it exposed the glass viewport Frank saw through. Ness took one carefully-timed swing and shattered it, distracting the driver as he covered his face from the shards flying inwards.

"Time to finish this up!"

He hurried to the other side of the robot and bashed its head as hard as he could, completely detaching it from the body. It sailed off into the bushes, out of sight. Its main power source must have been inside, because the rest of Frankystein sagged and stopped moving. Frank climbed out through a hatch on the back, rubbing his forehead.

"Ugh… what happened…?"

He had a different look in his eyes, now confused and dazed. It was just like with the wild animals Ness had fought the night before; he'd literally beaten sense into Frank. The Shark boss looked down at him with a grin, appearing to remember what had occurred.

"You're good, kid. Real good. You've turned me into 'Failure Frank' now. Hell, you even destroyed Frankystein Mark II. It was made of the best tin foil and wood we could get our hands on."

Ignoring the question of how the Sharks had built a robot out of _that_ , Ness got back to business.

"Can I have the key to that shack now? Also, will you stop causing trouble around here?"

Frank chuckled, digging inside his suit pockets.

"You sure can, and we sure will. The Sharks were never meant to be criminals, you know. I just rounded up all the lost kids in town and gave 'em a family, that's all."

He retrieved a silver key and presented it to Ness. His expression had become one of concern.

"One day, though… this voice in my head started tellin' me to do things differently. Cause trouble, spread fear, all that. It mentioned your name too, saying 'Ness cannot get to Giant Step.' I'm sure you know more about it than I do, so I'll leave that whole business to you."

Ness took the key from him with a nod, walking back toward the arcade's door.

"You've become stronger than I, kid!" Frank called. "I'm sure you can handle whatever gets thrown your way."

Feeling comforted by the encouragement (even if it had come from the last place he'd expected), he walked through the building again and onto the streets.

"Fantastic job, Ness," said Buzz Buzz. "You pulled off an incredible victory back there. How do you feel?"

"Pretty tired, but we have the key now. Let's go see what Giant Step has to offer."

With their first hurdle overcome, the two set off toward the Sanctuary north of town.


	6. One Giant Step for Ness

Chapter 6: One Giant Step for Ness

Key in hand, Ness walked all the way back to the locked shack north of town. No other Sharks tried to mess with him, presumably having learned of their boss's defeat. He lacked a watch, but if he had to guess it was still mid-afternoon. Only a few hours in on the first day of his adventure, and one of the eight Sanctuaries was already in his reach! Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

He unlocked the door and stepped into the small wooden building. It was a wreck in there; nearly every surface was caked in dirt and dust, and parts of broken furniture littered the floor. The Sharks must have run wild before he arrived. Only one aspect of the shack was of any real importance: a large hole in the back wall, leading outside behind the fence. Ness walked through it and found himself in front of the entrance to a cave. He recalled being there once for a school trip, and he knew that there was a path up to the top of the hill.

"Well, here we go," he told Buzz Buzz. "Giant Step is right this way."

The insect on his shoulder was silent, however. His wings twitched as Ness entered the cave, which turned out to be darker than expected.

"Ugh, I can barely see in here. Is there some PSI move that improves my eyesight?"

It was then that he remembered packing a flashlight. He dug it out of his backpack and turned it on, finally able to get a look at his surroundings. The interior of the cave was mostly hollow, as instead of having to navigate cramped tunnels there were small cliffs to scale. Rocky spires protruded from the ground and ceiling in various spots, though luckily none of them were positioned in areas where he could potentially fall and impale himself.

Shaking off that unsettling image, Ness climbed onto one of the ledges by way of a rope tied to the top of it. He didn't know who had left it there, but he decided not to question the convenient help. Everything was quiet, perhaps too quiet for his liking. The still, dusty air made his skin crawl as he continued onwards.

"Something's wrong," Buzz Buzz said at last. He'd been silent the entire time, but was now fidgeting around on his shoulder.

"What is it?"

"I can sense the energy radiating from Giant Step above us," he elaborated, "but there's another presence here… something dangerous. Be cautious, we may not be alone."

As if on cue, Ness felt something scuttle past his feet. He yelped and pointed the flashlight downwards to reveal a brown-furred mouse the size of his hand staring up at him in the darkness. It didn't seem scared by his light but rather irritated, taking slow paces toward him while baring its sharp teeth.

(Kill. Kill. Kill.)

The soft voice echoed in his head like King's had, but this one had a slight growl to it. He made eye contact with the mouse and saw the same feral instinct as the wild animals from last night.

"Giygas is manipulating it!" Buzz Buzz cried. "Be on guard-"

Ness interrupted him by simply kicking his foot out. The rodent sailed off into the darkness of the cave and didn't come after him again- evil or not, it _was_ just a mouse. His insectoid companion made an odd sound as if he were clearing his equivalent of a throat.

"Ah… I see, you have this under control. Very well, let us carry on."

The rest of the cave's inhabitants put up even less of a fight. More mice tried to attack him with similar failures, and he almost laughed when a group of ants and slugs very slowly advanced toward him. Their most threatening aspect was the repeated "kill" he could hear in their minds. Ness didn't bother attacking them, instead just moving ahead to climb another rope to a higher ledge.

He could see sunlight streaming in just ahead of him, and he knew that Giant Step was mere yards away. Ness took a step forward, only for Buzz Buzz to cry out in alarm.

"Wait! Look around you!"

His eyes widened as he shone the flashlight across the walls. Large black ants were _everywhere_ , positioning themselves to surround him. What had to be several thousand of them were collecting into a large mound and blocking his way back down the rope.

"The presence… it is closer…"

Something was moving near the exit of the cave, hidden just beyond the reach of the sunlight. It pulled itself upright, becoming a towering figure almost six feet tall. Ness shone his light onto it and nearly fainted at the sight.

It was an ant- an _enormous_ gray ant standing on its back two legs. The other four were folded in front of it like human arms, each ending in a set of razor-sharp talons. The bug had a misshapen, rather lumpy head and a pair of piercing white eyes. It clicked its mandibles, and for a moment Ness swore it was smirking.

"So, you've made it here after all."

His eyes almost bulged out of his head. That wasn't telepathy like he'd used with King or the animals in the cave; the ant was _speaking_ to him.

"This is the first of your Sanctuaries, no? Our predictions were accurate, then. Master Giygas has granted me the honor of ending your little adventure right at its beginning, you see, and I fully intend to do so."

"W-what is this thing?" Ness stammered, clutching his bat.

"I… I don't know…" came Buzz Buzz's worried reply. "It must be a mutated local creature, if I had to guess."

The ant swiveled its gaze over to him with a cackling laugh.

"And you've brought our escapee as well. Starman Junior may have failed to kill you, but I- Titanic Ant- will not make the same mistake. Prepare yourselves!"

Ness kept his bat raised but really wasn't sure what to do against something this size. Titanic Ant stomped toward him with its claws outstretched, preparing to swipe down. He gave a frightened cry and swung his bat, only for the monstrous bug to catch it and yank the weapon out of his hands.

"Such a primitive tool! Is this really how you managed to get so far?"

Now unarmed, he edged away from his enemy and tried to come up with a plan. Titanic Ant lunged for him and slashed with its claws, catching the boy in the side. He was thrown across the ledge, landing in a heap on the ground.

"Ugh…"

Frank's knives were nothing compared to the slashes he'd sustained from that one attack. Ness staggered back up and almost screamed as he felt a wave of pain shoot through him.

 _"_ _How did it make such a deep cut?!"_

Titanic Ant wasn't attacking again, seemingly content on just watching him struggle. It gave a deep laugh upon seeing his bloody wounds.

"That must not feel good. Personally, I'm very much enjoying this! It's like I'm ruining someone's picnic… only, you know, _lethally_."

Ness hurriedly used PSI Lifeup to heal his injury, thankful that some of his psychic energy had recovered on the way through the cave.

"I don't know what to do, Buzz Buzz…"

There was no reply. The insect was gone from his shoulder, nowhere to be seen. To make matters worse, his enemy had grown bored of waiting and thrown his bat back at him. Ness was struck in the head, stumbling onto one knee with stars in his eyes. His weapon rolled at his feet, but he was so dazed he couldn't quite manage to pick it up.

"Oh my, you look to be in bad shape," Titanic Ant commented. "Are you nearing your limit? I promise to make it quick when I strip the flesh away from your- gah!"

It lurched forward, having been hit from behind by a hard blow. Buzz Buzz was flitting around in front of the monster, smashing into its armored exoskeleton as hard as he could. The insect dodged multiple strikes from its claws in quick succession.

"Giygas cannot prevail! We won't let you destroy this world!"

With his foe distracted, Ness finally managed to clear his senses and pick up the bat. He rushed Titanic Ant from the right, jumping into the air to smash at its head. The bug growled angrily and delivered a punch to his stomach, knocking him down yet again (though he was thankful not to have been slashed this time).

"Ness! Be courageous, you can't fail here!" Buzz Buzz shouted. "Tap into your PSI and unleash everything you-"

He was cut off when Titanic Ant scored a blow on him. The insect gave a strangled gasp and plummeted to the ground, missing a wing and a good portion of his back.

"No!"

Buzz Buzz feebly twitched and struggled on the rocky floor, wheezing in agony. Ness rushed to his side, but didn't make it there before Titanic Ant swept his downed friend away with one of its feet. Two clawed hands clamped down on his shoulders, holding him in place before the monster.

"Ah-ah-ah, no distractions," it taunted. "Look on the bright side, if he dies quickly he won't have to witness _your_ fate. You put up an impressive fight, but just weren't good enough. Sorry, kid."

A low growl rumbled through Ness's throat. He looked up at his enemy and felt his composure slip. PSI energy charged across his body as he began to tremble with anger, giving him a burning sensation in his arms and hands. He didn't care, though. Nothing mattered to him, not while Buzz Buzz was so critically injured.

"I'm… going to _crush_ you…" he snarled.

Titanic Ant's smug expression faltered, and within seconds it gave a pained cry and let go of him. Its eyes widened as it looked at the smoke coming off its claws.

"You- how did you-"

Empowered by his own rage, Ness grabbed his bat off the ground and smashed it with force he didn't think was possible against the ant's nearest arm. The appendage snapped off altogether with a light spray of greenish blood, and its owner howled in pain.

"Wretched creature! Die!" it shouted, swiping down at him again. Its attack was intercepted by a second swing, and the blocked arm hung limply at Titanic Ant's side.

By now the monster was beginning to panic, stepping away from Ness with its eyes narrowed. He slowly walked toward it, his bat dragging along the floor. Purple-tinted energy flared around him like bolts of electricity, completely vaporizing any of the smaller ants that happened to be in its path. They scattered in all directions, leaving their leader behind.

"How are you doing this?!" Titanic Ant hissed.

He didn't know, and he didn't care. The cold flash he'd felt when he learned Lifeup and Hypnosis returned, and his voice whispered in his head just like it had then. Ness, acting somewhat on impulse (he didn't know what this new technique did), stretched a hand out toward his enemy and shouted at the top of his lungs.

 _"_ _PK ROCKIN': ALPHA!"_

The energy swirling around him condensed and exploded in a flash of multicolored light, completely enveloping Titanic Ant. It shrieked in pain as the overwhelming attack tore apart its exoskeleton and exposed innards. By the time the energy cleared away, only a small pile of ash remained of the monstrous bug.

Ness put his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. That move had taken so much of his stamina he was surprised he hadn't just passed out right then and there. All of the remaining ants had fled, leaving the cave silent except for a faint buzzing sound nearby. His eyes shot wide open, remembering his injured friend.

"Buzz Buzz! Where are you?!"

A very faint voice replied to his left.

"Urgh… over here…"

Ness dashed to him and knelt down beside the bug. His wounds were more extensive than he'd realized at first, as almost the entire rear half of his body had been sliced off.

"I was… agh… much weaker than I expected…"

"H-hold on! I'll take care of you… PSI Lifeup: Alpha!"

Nothing happened. His heart sank, but he tried again. There was still no response, not even a tickle of energy running through his hands. He'd run out of psychic power.

"No… _no_ …"

"Ness," the insect coughed, "I hate to say it, but you'll have to continue on your own from here… reach the Sanctuary, then continue in your search for the others."

"I-I can't!" he pleaded, cradling Buzz Buzz in his hands. "You can't leave me, I don't know what I'm supposed to do next!"

"Urgh… you are one of the chosen humans, are you not? The path forwards should reveal itself to you over time. Just… remember to keep your courage, and I know you will succeed in the end."

Ness was trembling.

"You can't die… you can't…"

"It doesn't matter," Buzz Buzz said. "This was an inevitability. To channel your power through each of the Sanctuaries, you will need the Sound Stone. It is an awesome item, capable of absorbing their energy. I… can transform myself into it, and had intended to from the start. Though I will lose the ability to communicate with you, know that I'll always be here in spirit. Farewell, hero of the Earth…"

Before Ness could say anything else, Buzz Buzz shone a bright gold and began to morph. His body shrank in size, his exoskeleton dissolving until only a flat, ovular stone colored like honey remained. It sat in his palm, unmoving, without a trace of the brave time-travelling insect left behind.

Feeling astoundingly hopeless despite the victory against Titanic Ant, he trudged out the exit to the cave and stood before his first Sanctuary. The sun was much lower in the sky now, slowly beginning to set as if closing off the first day of his quest. If he was supposed to feel proud, he didn't.

Ness looked down at the massive footprint in the dirt, big enough to fit a person lengthwise. He held the Sound Stone over Giant Step and felt a wave of energy flood over him. Somewhere in his head, the distinct image of a small, cute puppy- a younger King- passed through his memory. A short fragment of music hummed through the air, and the magical stone glowed in response to the Sanctuary.

Then, peace. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. Nothing disturbed the environment at all. Ness, still exhausted, sat down under a tree at the hilltop and looked over Onett far below. This was only the first of eight, and he'd lost his most valuable ally yet… could he really go through with this?

 _"_ _It's what Buzz Buzz wanted me to do… I have to try."_

That was his last thought before passing out, lost to the world.

 **End of Part One**


	7. The Stranger's Call

**Part Two: New Places, New Faces**

Chapter 7: The Stranger's Call

 _"…_ _hello?"_

Ness gasped and opened his eyes… well, he thought he did. Everything around him was still pitch black, and he felt cold. He was floating in midair with no visible floor below or ceiling above. The only other thing in that void was the voice which had just called out to him. It was a girl's, one that he didn't recognize. She sounded confused and a bit apprehensive.

 _"_ _Uh… hello?"_ he echoed, wondering if she could hear him. His voice had a distinct hum to it, like it was reverberating in the air.

 _"_ _Oh, finally! I'm glad I got through to you. Is your name Ness?"_

Many questions ran through his head, the biggest one of which was if this was really happening. Had the Sanctuary caused him to start hallucinating? Or was this another part of his mission?

 _"_ _Yeah, I'm Ness… uh, are you my spirit guide or something?"_

 _"_ _What? No, don't be silly. I'm another kid, just like you."_

He was interested now. Maybe she was one of the "chosen ones" Buzz Buzz had mentioned.

Buzz Buzz… thinking of him caused Ness's heart to throb. He was gone, leaving a confused young boy in his wake. There was nothing to indicate his next course of action against Giygas, and he'd nearly gotten killed at the first hurdle. PSI or not, he was beginning to feel like he had no chance.

No… he couldn't give in to despair. He had to continue on his mission and save the world, like the time-traveler had wanted. Bringing his attention back to the present, he responded again.

 _"_ _Just like me, huh? Do you have PSI abilities too?"_

 _"_ _Is that what this is called?"_ she asked. _"I never got a clear answer on that… anyway, I guess I do since we can talk to each other through your dream."_

Ness scratched his head in confusion.

 _"_ _So I_ am _dreaming. Does that mean you aren't real?"_

 _"_ _No, I'm as real as can be. I live in a town called Twoson… uh, I think it's to the south of where you are. Onett, right?"_

 _"_ _Right. I just finished dealing with the local gang and killed a giant ant monster."_

 _"_ _Whoa!"_ she gasped. _"That sounds rough. Are you okay?"_

 _"_ _About as okay as I can be,"_ Ness replied with a sigh. _"I had someone else with me, a sort of guide to teach me about my PSI. He… didn't make it against the monster."_

 _"_ _Oh no… I… I'm so sorry to hear that…"_

Her horrified whisper only further reminded him of Buzz Buzz's death. He decided to try and shift the topic.

 _"_ _He was a good friend, even if I didn't know him for long. How did_ you _learn about your powers?"_

 _"…_ _promise not to laugh?"_ the girl's voice asked. _"It might sound crazy. It wasn't from a person like you had."_

Ness fought back a grin.

 _"_ _Oh, not a person. He was a bug who came back in time from ten years in the future. Got here on a meteorite which landed right near my house last night. Besides, we're talking to each other with our minds right now. It'll take a lot for me to think you're crazy."_

She was quiet for a few moments.

 _"_ _Fair point. Well, I learned I have special abilities a few years ago from a… uh, she calls herself a guardian angel. Really, it's this voice that just appeared in my head one day and began giving me advice."_

 _"_ _You're right, that does sound crazy."_

 _"_ _Ness…"_ she huffed.

 _"_ _Kidding, kidding. Did she tell you to contact me?"_

 _"_ _Not directly. She said that one day I would have to save the world, and I would join a few other people to do it. One of them was a boy named Ness, so I guess I found the right one. She called him my 'destiny.'"_

He hoped she couldn't see him, or the light blush on his face at the wording of that.

 _"_ _Go figure. Have you heard about the Sanctuaries and Giygas?"_

 _"_ _Bits and pieces of it… I've been hearing from her less and less lately. There must be trouble brewing. Who's this Giygas person?"_

It occurred to him that Buzz Buzz hadn't said much about their enemy.

 _"_ _Uh… an alien, I think. He wants to take over the world and cover it with darkness, or something like that. I didn't learn much specifically about him."_

 _"_ _My angel hasn't said a lot about him either, always just stuff like 'he is coming for us.' She might need our help."_

 _"_ _That makes sense. Well, it'd be nice to have someone with me while I try to stop him. Where can I find you?"_

 _"_ _Twoson, like I said. I live in the Polestar Preschool. My family runs it."_

He'd never been to Onett's neighboring town, but he knew there was a trail leading there to the south.

 _"_ _Alright, I'll get down there once I wake up. How can I find you, uh…"_

She gave an embarrassed giggle.

 _"_ _Oh! I never said my name, did I? It's Paula. I'm sure we'll know once we see each other. In fact, I'll try to meet you halfway just in case. The road to Onett isn't too far from where I live, so I'll head there in the morning."_

 _"_ _Good to know. See you soon, Paula."_

 _"Bye Ness!"_ she replied cheerfully.

Her voice faded away, and after some unspecific amount of time he felt the void around him begin to disappear as well.

* * *

The first thing he noticed upon waking up was how sore his neck was. He'd fallen asleep under the tree in front of Giant Step, and his backpack had made for a lumpy, uncomfortable pillow. Ness got to his feet and stretched his limbs, the mysterious contact with Paula fresh on his mind. He had to meet up with her as soon as possible, and-

An unpleasant smell hit his nose, which he realized came from himself. Change of plans: he had to find a _shower_ as soon as possible. His torn, bloodstained clothes would probably make her uncomfortable at best, so a change of those was in order as well. It was then that he realized how hungry he was. Perfect, another distraction.

He walked back through the cave- thankfully not being interrupted by any more wild animals or horrific mutants- and onto the streets of Onett in around half an hour. The sun was just beginning to rise, so he still had some time to prepare before meeting Paula. His house was too far away to walk back to, but fortunately there was a hotel of mediocre-to-decent quality in the center of town. He could clean himself up there, and eat on the road to Twoson.

 _"_ _I should also probably call Mom and Dad…"_

Not wanting to think long enough to come up with _another_ reason to delay, he picked up the pace toward the hotel.

As promised, his father had added $200 to his bank account, which he withdrew a small portion of to rent a room for just one hour. The manager at the front desk gave Ness a quizzical look at the request, but took his payment and handed him a key anyway.

Around thirty minutes later he had finished cleaning himself up, also taking the time to brush his teeth (something he appreciated now more than ever, having not done so in more hours than he wanted to admit). He spent his remaining time using the room's phone to call his parents.

His father was first, making a record of everything Ness told him like he said he would.

"You've been through a lot already, and you've toughed it out. I'm proud of you, son. Are you gonna be okay without Buzz Buzz's help?"

"I think so," he replied, though not entirely convinced. "When I meet Paula, we can combine our powers to make things easier. I'm sure the two of us can succeed together."

"That's the spirit! You're a hard worker, just like your mother. You'll do anything you put your head to, so don't give up!"

Ness cracked a smile.

"Thanks, Dad. I should call her too, so I'll see you later."

He hung up and dialed his home number. His mother wasn't as confident as his father had been.

"Oh no! Do you want me to come out there and pick you up? This all sounds too dangerous for you…"

"No, don't worry about me," he hastily reassured her. "I'll be fine; I've learned a lot about how to take care of myself now."

"Ha ha… my little man's growing up too fast," she said with pride in her voice. "Just be careful, and remember you can always come home if you want a break. By the way, Tracy wants to speak to you."

Ness grinned as the phone was passed to his sister.

"Hello?"

"Big bro! Guess what, I'm gonna help you on your adventure! I'm working part-time for Escargo Express."

That was the last thing he'd expected to hear out of her.

"The delivery company? For real?"

"Yup! Just call me whenever you have too much stuff and I'll send a coor-riar to you. We'll hold onto anything you don't need."

He chuckled.

"That's 'courier,' sis. Thanks, I'm sure you'll be a big help sooner or later."

"You bet! Good luck out there!"

She hung up as well, just in time for him to check out of the room and leave for Twoson. Talking to his family had raised his spirits tremendously, and he felt ready to take on the world again.

Okay, maybe the whole world was a bit of a stretch. He supposed he could start by taking on the police barricade blocking the path out of town. It wasn't surprising to see them there- no doubt it was because someone had littered on the lawn of town hall or some other meager offense- but it _was_ surprising to see the chief, Captain Strong, among the officers standing guard. His sunglasses and bushy mustache (not to mention his name) made him the definitive example of a stern, no-nonsense cop… well, aside from the meaningless roadblocks. He frowned at Ness as he approached.

"What do you want, kid? Are you lost?"

"No, sir," he said as politely as he could. "I need to get to Twoson, please."

"Does it seem like I'm gonna let you through?" Strong shot back. "We don't just block the roads because we _feel_ like it. Some dastardly scum knocked over a bunch of garbage cans up by the library across town, and now we have to secure this way out in case he makes a run for it."

Ah, now it all made sense. Obviously.

"Well, uh… it definitely wasn't the Sharks. I convinced them to stop causing trouble, so you won't have to worry about them again."

Strong raised an eyebrow. Ness felt like he was piercing holes into his skull from behind his sunglasses.

"Is that right? Okay kid, and I'm also sure you wandered up to Giant Step and fought a giant bug monster. What other tall tales do you wanna give me?"

How he'd so accurately guessed what Ness had been doing was beyond him, but he got the message nonetheless. He was about to turn away from Captain Strong and find a path to sneak around when another officer rushed over to them, saluting and trying to catch his breath.

"Report from the library! The garbage cans have been put back into place, and the disturbance has been calmed."

"Any info on the perp?" Strong asked in a gruff voice.

"Yes sir. Witnesses say it was the garbage man, coming through town as usual. No evidence of criminal motivation has been found."

Ness would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't so afraid of getting a lecture from the police.

"Good, another case solved. What other news do you have, officer?"

"Lier X. Agerate, the hermit north of town, claims to have had something valuable stolen from him. He wouldn't tell me what it is, just that it was of great importance."

He perked up at the report. Had someone stolen that golden statue? It looked like it could sell for a fortune, so he guessed it made sense.

"Well then!" Captain Strong announced. "Let's get moving, boys! We have a crime on our hands! That's a crime to _solve_ on our hands, we aren't the perps here."

And so, paying no further attention to Ness, they all packed into the two squad cars they had nearby and sped off, sirens blasting. The path to Twoson was now clear, and he had barely needed to say a word. Still processing the bizarre chain of events that just occurred, Ness shrugged and began the walk down the trail.


	8. Investigation of Twoson

Chapter 8: Investigation of Twoson

Ness had battled many things on his short journey. He'd contended with wild animals, a killer alien robot, a gang and _their_ killer robot, _more_ wild animals, and an ant three heads taller than him. Despite all that, he still managed to be surprised when he found himself fighting off mushrooms and sprouts that had morphed their roots into feet the moment he walked past.

It wasn't anything he couldn't handle. The green sprouts were easy enough to deal with, generally requiring little more than a good smash with the bat before they stopped moving. Their only major tactic was spreading seeds around them to rapidly grow more of themselves, but even then they hardly put up a fight. The red and white-spotted mushrooms put up more of a fight, throwing spores at him which latched onto his shirt and grew into clingy fungi which took quite a bit of force to remove. He didn't want to think of what could happen if one of those attached to his skin. Ness whacked away at the mushrooms as fast as he could whenever one ran toward him.

It occurred to him at some point that Paula was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he was alone on the trail save for the hostile vegetation. Hadn't she said she would meet him there? She didn't sound like she'd been lying, but he couldn't see anyone else nearby.

The path to Twoson was rather short, and soon enough he found himself standing at the entrance to the town. Given how close it was to Onett, he wondered why they were even considered separate. Ness brushed off the idea and began to navigate the streets, looking for the preschool. It _was_ still early in the morning, perhaps Paula just hadn't left home yet.

He kept his eyes peeled for the word "Polestar," but found it hard not to be distracted by the buildings around him. They were much larger than Onett's small shops and houses, the highlight for him being a department store spanning multiple stories. There was also a hospital, as well as a pizza parlor which reminded him of how he hadn't eaten yet. Digging out one of Tracy's messily-wrapped cheese sandwiches, Ness scarfed it down as he kept exploring.

No sign of the preschool yet, but he did notice a red brick building with a long line of people waiting outside. Closer examination revealed it was a theater currently playing host to a jazz band called the Runaway Five. Based on the agitated groans of the people at the front of the line, the tickets must have been sold out.

"I'm tellin' ya, we're stuck for good this time."

Ness heard the grumble as he walked past the theater to continue his search. He impulsively looked toward the source and noticed two men standing around the corner of it, next to a black tour bus with "RUNAWAY" printed in white letters on the side. Each were dressed in a suit, the taller, leaner, mustached one in green and the shorter, stockier one in red. They must have been part of the band.

"We must be cursed to take on bad contracts," Red muttered as Ness listened in.

"You kidding? It's probably 'cause we keep our shades on indoors, so we can't read what they say. Serves us right for lookin' so cool, huh?" sighed Green. Upon closer inspection, they were in fact both wearing dark sunglasses.

"Hey kid, you need somethin'?"

He yelped at the personal address. Both of them were staring at him, having realized he'd been listening to their plight. They didn't seem angry, just confused.

"Uh, n-no, I'm fine."

Red grinned and beckoned him over.

"C'mon, we don't bite. Whatcha need, an autograph? Lucky and I would be more than happy to sign that cap of yours."

"Maybe later, right now I'm looking for someone," he responded. "Do you know where the Polestar Preschool is?"

Lucky, the green-suited one, spoke up faster than he'd anticipated.

"Ah, I getcha! You're lookin' for Paula, yeah?"

He blinked.

"Yeah, uh… how did you know?"

"She's the talk of the town, kid. Even more famous than we are, right Gorgeous?"

Had he just called his bandmate "Gorgeous?" Either they were surprisingly progressive for 199X standards, or that was just a stage name. Of course, given how he'd been referred to as "Lucky," the latter seemed to be the case… though now Ness couldn't help but wonder…

"She sure is," the red-suited one commented. "Probably richer than us, too. We're great musicians but lousy at contracts, so we're gettin' ripped off by this theater."

Against his better judgement, Ness made them an offer.

"Can I, uh, help you somehow?"

Gorgeous let out a soft chuckle.

"Real generous of ya, kid, but unless you've got around ten-thousand dollars handy I don't think so."

"Tell you what!" Lucky cut in. "If you're lookin' for Paula, could you bring her here to see us when you find her? I wouldn't mind meetin' the star of the town. The preschool's down the road and to the left, so you can't miss it."

Ness gave them a grateful nod and continued walking, following the road as it turned south. His attention landed on some kind of flea market set up in a park in the center of Twoson. "Burglin Park…" perhaps he could check around there later, once he'd joined up with Paula.

Just like Lucky had said, the Polestar Preschool was around a left turn in the road near the park. Painted white with a green-tiled roof and a sign identifying itself, the long building stuck out from the buildings around it. Feeling excited but also a little nervous about getting to meet Paula, Ness walked up to the door and gave it a knock. It was answered by a kind-looking woman with long blonde hair and soft blue eyes. She smiled warmly at him.

"Hello there, can I help you?"

He cleared his throat, realizing that he had no idea what to say. Somehow he imagined that telling her- Paula's mother, he assumed- about the psychic conversation they'd shared wouldn't work.

"Hi. Is, uh, Paula home?"

"That had better not be another TV crew!" an irritated male voice yelled from somewhere inside."

"It's not!" the woman called back. She leaned down a bit and whispered to him. "You're not, are you? Lately we've had a lot of reporters come by, hoping to interview my daughter."

"N-no, ma'am. My name is Ness Harris."

Her eyes widened, and she opened the door further.

"Oh! So _you're_ Ness! Please, come inside."

He wiped his feet on the mat before stepping in, not wanting to make a bad impression. Several laughing children ran past, clutching various small toys in their fists. The interior of the house was very orderly given how many kids were there: the floor was clean, there were no stains on the walls or carpet, and nobody could be heard crying. He faintly recalled staying at a similar, much more chaotic day-care back in Onett years back and wondered what this family's secret was.

"Paula's been talking about you for a while now. How do you two know each other?"

He didn't realize what he was about to say until he absentmindedly blurted it out.

"We don't know each other really, she just started talking to me in my sleep… last… night…"

His voice trailed off too late, and he felt his face heat up at the bemused expression Paula's mother was giving him. That _had_ to sound crazy to her.

"Really? Well, that makes sense to me."

"I-it does?"

She laughed.

"Of course! She has certain… talents, unlike anyone else's. Lately she's been telling us about a boy named Ness that she has to meet. We're not sure how she knows what she does, but she's never been wrong before. You must be an important young man."

Ness scratched the back of his head.

"I guess you could say that. Is she here?"

They reached the foot of a staircase. Her mother cupped a hand around her mouth and called out.

"Paula! Come downstairs, Ness is here to meet you!"

His heartbeat had increased quite a bit, he noticed. Something about this made him feel like they'd been arranged for a date, and his face threatened to flush again. He kept his hands behind his back as they awaited her.

Strangely, there was no response. Her mother called a second time, once again to no avail. A sinking feeling began to weigh on Ness; she hadn't met him on the trail as promised and now she didn't seem to be home.

"Ah… please wait a moment, I'll go see what she's doing."

Paula's mother walked upstairs and disappeared around a corner. Hurried footsteps could be heard a moment later before she returned, a troubled expression on her face.

"She's not here. She didn't tell me she was going out. Honey, have you seen Paula?"

A tall, short-haired blond man peered at them from behind a door with a frown.

"She left early this morning to meet someone. I think she was headed for the trail to Onett."

"I came from that way!" Ness cut in, the apprehension worsening. "I didn't see her anywhere, so I thought she'd be here."

Her parents shared uneasy looks.

"It's not like her to just disappear," her mother said. "Something must have happened to her!"

Paula's much less composed father looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"S-s-she's been kidnapped! It has to be that guy in Burglin Park, nobody else would do this!"

"I'll go find her," Ness declared. "Stay here in case she comes back."

"Are you sure?" asked her mother. "We'd appreciate the help, but it can be a dangerous place. I hear Everdred is a notorious criminal."

He gave her a thumbs-up.

"I'm sure. I've got a few special talents too, just like Paula. If I find her I'll take her straight back here."

They both thanked him as he walked out, exiting onto the streets of Twoson again. Burglin Park wasn't far up the road, and it only took Ness a few minutes to walk there. From the outside it seemed peaceful enough; the vendors at the various stands merrily doing business with passersby (including one strange hippie-looking man who was advertising "miracle condiments") didn't give off a threatening air. However, if he'd learned anything on his adventure it was not to take things at face value. Gripping his bat, he proceeded along the path through the park.

He didn't need to have felt so worried, as nobody made any sudden motions to attack him. Some of the people even gave him a friendly greeting as he passed by. It wasn't until he reached the deepest spot- a tiny house with faded yellow paint and a red roof- that something out of the ordinary happened. A portly man wearing round sunglasses, a yellow and red flowered shirt, and a small black bowler hat the same shade as his dreadlocked hair and handlebar mustache shouted at him from the roof.

"Ho ho! Nobody just comes up to my house for no reason. You must be lookin' for me. Well, how 'bout we chat later… after we've locked horns!"

Before Ness could say anything, he took a leap from the roof with a fist outstretched. Stepping back in time to avoid the man's swing, he raised his bat for a counterattack once he landed. There was no need, though, as his would-be opponent twisted his ankle and was forced into an awkward crouch, chuckling softly.

"Heh… heh heh… I guess not, then. Not in fightin' shape right now, anyway… what's your name, kid?"

He was beginning to get tired of people calling him that, even if it was true. The destined hero of the world shouldn't be known as "kid," he thought.

"I'm Ness. Are you Everdred?"

The man nodded with a wry grin. He pointed his bat in his direction as if it were a sword.

"I'm looking for someone named Paula. She's gone missing, and her parents think you took her. Where is she?"

Everdred was massaging his ankle.

"I'm no law-abiding citizen, but I never kidnapped anyone. I _may_ have some info about your missing girl, though. I was up early this morning, and I heard a scuffle near the edge of town. There was a girl's voice, she sounded like she needed help. When I looked out the window to see what was happening, the most I could catch was someone bein' dragged off by some chubby guy and a weirdo in a blue suit."

The word "chubby" brought Pokey to mind, but if Ness knew anything about his parents, they wouldn't let him or his brother leave the house for at least a week after sneaking out the other night. Besides, as annoying as he was he didn't seem the criminal type.

"Any idea who it could've been?"

Everdred stroked his chin, humming.

"If I had to guess, it was probably those Happy Happyists from across the way. I think I heard one of 'em talking about a sacrifice, very weird stuff if you ask me."

Ness felt a chill run through him. Paula was in danger! Whoever these Happy Happyists were, he had to put a stop to their schemes.

"Which way do I go to find them?"

"Just past the bus station. There's a tunnel leading to Peaceful Rest Valley, and beyond that is Happy Happy Village. The people have some hokey religion, and lately anyone who tries to go there isn't seen again. You'd best be careful if you're looking to head out that way."

"I will, thanks."

Ness left his house and took off running down the sidewalk, passing by the preschool toward the tunnel. All he could think of was Paula's impending sacrifice at the hands of these mysterious new enemies, the Happy Happyists. The idea made him fume; Buzz Buzz had died when he should have been able to prevent it. He wasn't about to let the same fate befall anyone else.


	9. Metal-Pointed Delay

Chapter 9: Metal-Pointed Delay

Much to Ness's simultaneous aggravation and confusion, his progress toward Happy Happy Village was almost immediately blocked. It wasn't by the police, a gang, or even aggressive wildlife, but rather a solid iron statue of a pencil.

Seriously.

It was perfectly sized to obstruct the entrance to the tunnel at the east side of Twoson, and far too heavy to be pushed. He considered using his PSI on it, but there was no guarantee it wouldn't ricochet off and harm someone else around him. Climbing it was also out of the question due to its smooth, friction-less sides. Frustrated and impatient, Ness settled for kicking it as hard as he could- and ultimately regretted doing so.

"Stupid pencil, stupid Happy Happyists, stupid PSI, stupid aliens, stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"Hey! Are you trying to get past here?"

His grumbling was interrupted by a soft voice behind him. Still rubbing his aching foot, he turned to see the speaker: a chubby, red-haired boy about his age wearing a bright red shirt and black overalls.

"Yeah, I am. Where did this even come from?"

"Beats me," he said. "It just showed up here a few hours ago."

He took a step closer, and Ness became _very_ aware of his scent. The boy smelled like he hadn't taken a bath in days, a fact which he himself seemed to realize when he caught a look at his disgusted expression.

"Oops… sorry if I don't smell that great, I've been working non-stop recently and haven't taken the time to clean up. Didn't get any sleep or food, either…"

As if to prove it, his stomach growled in such a way that it sounded more like an angry bear. Ness felt some degree of pity for him and retrieved one of the two remaining sandwiches from his backpack, holding it out to the boy.

"Here, you can have this. It's cold, but it's the best I've got."

"Oh wow, thanks so much!" he practically squealed, biting into it without a second thought. "To pay you back, I think I can help you get past this pencil."

"Really?" Ness asked. "How?"

"I'm the local inventor here in Twoson," he said with a grin. "People call me the Apple Kid. Right now I'm working on something that I think will help a lot. Follow me back to my place and I'll show you!"

He didn't seem like he could invent his way out of a paper bag, to be frank, but Ness had no other ideas on how to get past the giant iron pencil. Muttering a brief "whatever" to himself, he trailed behind Apple Kid down a different street.

"Where'd you come from? Happy Happy Village?" the inventor asked.

"No, Onett."

"Wow, an out-of-towner! I'm surprised you got here, since most of the ways out of Twoson have been blocked."

Ness frowned.

"What do you mean? Are there more pencils?"

"No, but there _are_ ghosts in the tunnel to Threed who won't let anyone pass. Now this pencil statue shows up out of nowhere, and we're getting cut off from the rest of Eagleland."

As they got to what must have been Apple Kid's workshop, he suppressed the urge to deny the claim that ghosts were real. Aliens and metallic pencils were actively stopping his progress, not to mention the whole adventure began with a time-traveling insect. Of _course_ ghosts were real, they were probably the least absurd gimmick so far. He was starting to wonder if every urban legend would eventually turn out to be true the further along his quest he went.

"Just wait out here for a few minutes, I'll fetch that invention from inside," Apple Kid assured him, stepping into the tiny building. Even outside, Ness could detect the overpowering smell of pizza. It may have been his second favorite food (topped only by a good steak), but he feared that standing too close to the workshop would make him never want to lay his eyes on a pizza again.

When he stepped further back, he noticed that the shop was marked by an ovular sign reading "Apple Kid." His eyes wandered to an identical building next door, belonging to "Orange Kid" according to the sign.

"Is that another inventor?"

The door flew open, and out stepped a much leaner boy wearing glasses and an orange button-down shirt. He took one glance at Ness in front of Apple Kid's house and clicked his tongue.

"Not another step, sir! If you're looking for an inventor, come right this way! I'm the real brains around here, just call me Orange Kid."

He certainly looked more qualified than his red-themed counterpart. Smelled better, too.

"What sort of help do you need?" Orange Kid continued.

"I have to get past that iron pencil and through Peaceful Rest Valley. Do you have something to get me there?"

He smirked and pushed up his glasses, causing the lenses to flash white like a cartoon character's.

"Ah, you should've come to me from the start! I have the perfect invention for you: the Super Orange Machine, or Suporma for short! It's all yours… if you wouldn't mind investing a bit in my work."

Ness raised an eyebrow.

"How much?"

"A hundred dollars, maybe two?" Orange Kid suggested with a wry smirk.

He checked how much cash he had on hand. $126… he'd have to visit an ATM after rescuing Paula. Hopefully his father would've deposited some money by then. Though reluctant to give away so much at once, Ness was anxious to get to Happy Happy Village. He handed over a few bills with a sigh.

"Here, a hundred bucks. Can I have this Suporma now?"

"Thanks a lot for your contribution! I'll get it for you."

He disappeared into his workshop and came out a few moments later, setting a cumbersome-looking device on the sidewalk.

"Enjoy, sir! Use it to spread good will across the world."

Orange Kid shut himself back in his workshop, and Ness thought he heard the distinct click of a door locking. He frowned at the Suporma, which looked like an old-fashioned record player made of orange wood. There was no record, instead the machine had a large red "Activate" button below the horn. Curious, he pressed it and stood back.

He couldn't tell if he was surprised or not when, rather than actually do something useful, the Suporma began to spout lyrics boasting of its creator's greatness, intellect, and "general superiority to you" as one line went. The song ended after just a minute and a half, then the machine emitted a puff of smoke and stopped working altogether. He might as well have thrown his money down a sewer.

As much as Ness wanted to take revenge for being ripped off, Orange Kid didn't seem evil or deranged. Giygas likely wasn't influencing him to do anything, so it would have been wrong to try and knock some sense into him (for that reason, anyway). He settled for leaving the Suporma as a pile of wrecked metal at his door, fists still clenching his bat.

Apple Kid finally emerged from his shack, holding a small metal object shaped like a handheld eraser.

"Here you go, like I said! This is the Pencil Eraser. It's kinda self-explanatory, it gets rid of anything shaped like a pencil in a close range. It also works on real pencils, so don't use it near those."

Ness stared at it.

"How long have you been working on this?"

"A couple days," he shrugged.

"…and the iron pencil appeared just a few hours ago?"

"Yep."

He decided not to ask why Apple Kid felt the need to make such a situational device without any need for it. If it would help him progress, then that was all he cared about. Ness took the Pencil Eraser and stowed it away in his pocket.

"Oh yeah, one more thing!"

Apple Kid handed him something that resembled the handset of a telephone- scratch that, it _was_ the handset of a telephone. A thin antennae stuck out from the top, but the thing seemed useless without a base to connect to.

"What's this?"

"It's a mobile receiver phone! It can't make calls, but it can pick them up from almost anywhere. I'll call you if I invent something else that could help you on your way."

Ness put it in his backpack. Apple Kid may not have been much at first glance, but he didn't appear to be scamming him. He decided to trust the young inventor.

"Thanks. I'll go test the Pencil Eraser now."

"Good luck!" he called after Ness as he walked off.

With a potential solution finally- and literally- at hand, he returned to the iron pencil in front of the tunnel. Various residents of Twoson had gathered around it by then, and he had to work his way through the curious spectators to get close enough. He pushed the Pencil Eraser's sole "start" button and waited. As promised, the metallic obstacle glowed a faint white then abruptly faded out of existence. The others in the crowd gasped and looked toward him, but he did his best not to be distracted.

 _"_ _I… can't believe that actually worked."_

Assuming that the absurdity of his adventure would only escalate as he went on, Ness stepped into the unobstructed tunnel toward Happy Happy Village. He quickened his pace when he heard a confused exclamation from one of the townsfolk behind him.

"What the heck? I _swear_ I just had a pencil in my pocket."

Whoops.


	10. Violent Death Valley

Chapter 10: Violent Death Valley

More walking sprouts and fungi (the latter of which he referred to as "ramblin' evil mushrooms" due to the strange gibbering sound they made) intercepted Ness on his way through the short cave, but by then he'd become an expert at dodging their lunges and flung spores. He got past them with little to no difficulty.

The same couldn't be said for the area beyond the tunnel.

Within minutes he wanted to find the person who'd given Peaceful Rest Valley its name and punch them in the face. He wasn't _just_ swarmed by more sprouts and mushrooms than he could count, as Mother Nature continued her active plot against him in the form of entire trees uprooting themselves and walking his way. The bark twisted and morphed on their fronts until white, cartoony eyes and grinning mouths formed on the trees. Their humanoid faces did little for their moral values as they trundled toward Ness with murderous intent, and he decided he'd rather have fought ten more Titanic Ants than look at those soulless, wide-eyed smiles any longer.

Luckily for him, the hostile oaks seemed more territorial than outright aggressive and gave up their chase when he moved a certain distance away. They were slow enough to make escaping them normally a non-issue, but the one time Ness tried to battle one (curiosity over how a tree would fight had gotten the better of him) he sorely regretted it.

As he'd suspected, the tree was too slow to hit him with its swinging branches, allowing him to dance around it and score multiple bat strikes on its trunk. His attacks barely harmed the tough enemy, and the way its smile never faltered was _really_ creeping him out. Finally, after a few minutes of ineffectual swings, he'd grown impatient and decided to let loose with the ability that had defeated Titanic Ant.

"PK Rockin': Alpha!"

In hindsight, he wondered why it was called that. Listening to old-fashioned rock music was a major pastime of his, but had the technique really named itself after what he liked to do? Would he also learn "PK Video Games," or maybe "PK Not-Being-Killed-By-Walking-Trees?" Speaking of which, Rockin' tore its way through the enemy just like it had before, leaving several darkened holes in the trunk from the explosion of rainbow energy.

Then the tree burst into flames.

He didn't think it was even because of his attack, which didn't seem to be fire-based. A few seconds had gone by in between, so from what he could tell the tree had just caught fire for no reason at all. Ness called it quits there and fled as fast as his legs could carry him, before the burning oak got too close.

It occurred to him that he was at the bottom of a ravine. High, rocky cliffs surrounded Peaceful Rest Valley on all sides save for the winding paths through it. He could hear rushing water, and sure enough a river was up ahead. A sign next to a rope bridge read "Happy Happy Village, right this way"… of course, because destiny hated him, the bridge had been cut. He would have to take another path around.

Ness withdrew a water bottle from his bag and downed a third of it with one gulp. He poured more onto his hair; the summer heat was taking a toll on him. It wasn't any hotter than he remembered Onett being, but he also didn't need to flee from combustible trees back then.

As he continued working his way around the river, he came under attack yet again. Not by plants this time, but rather by a pair of robots which appeared out of nowhere. They were thin, slender even, with circular bases that let them hover a few inches above the ground. Their heads were small and box-shaped, featuring a single red eye that tracked Ness's movements. Both of them began to wave their wiry metal arms by rotating their midsections separate from the rest. It didn't seem threatening until they spun so fast their arms had become like sawblades. Rockin' had taken a lot of energy out of him and he didn't want to use it again, but he also couldn't risk getting too close to the spinning robots.

 _Clang!_

Okay, so maybe throwing his bat as a projectile wasn't the most thought-out move, but it still worked. The robot it struck had its head completely taken off and collapsed in a heap; its creator must have gone with the lowest bidder as far as materials went. Emitting an alarmed beep, the second robot continued to advance toward Ness with its arms still rotating. Without his bat, he had no idea what to do about it until his foot sank into the muddy river bank.

Any discomfort he should have felt from his wet, dirty foot was overridden by a spark of inspiration. He pulled himself free and reached down to scoop a pile of mud into his hand. Ness packed it into the tightest ball he could manage, taking aim at the robot's head.

 _"_ _Here's the wind-up… and the pitch!"_

Batting may have been his proficiency, but he wasn't half-bad as a pitcher. The mud ball curved through the air and splattered against his enemy's red eye, covering its whole face. As he'd hoped, the robot veered away from him, trying to clear its vision while he scurried past toward his bat. He watched the disoriented machine hover blindly around until it disappeared behind a corner of the ravine.

"Youuuu're out!" he yelled after it with a grin. He just couldn't resist the urge.

With another battle overcome, Ness a felt cold flash and heard a new PSI technique reverberate in his head, called "PSI Healing: Alpha." Based on the name he didn't understand what was different between it and Lifeup, but that mystery could be solved once Paula was found.

Speaking of whom, as he kept moving he felt a weird… something. It was a light, almost ticklish feeling in his head that traveled down to his chest. The further he went, the stronger it got. Ness recalled her also having PSI and wondered if their abilities were reacting to one another. If that was true, he must have been close! He picked up the pace and finally came to another short tunnel on the far side of the river. Trampling over a few unfriendly sprouts, he arrived at what he assumed was Happy Happy Village.

Ironically, most of his surroundings were blue. The buildings, most of the flowers, the welcome sign, and even some of the grass all had been doused with blue paint. He could see people milling around between the small houses, and sure enough they were dressed in the same color. As Ness approached, he realized that the town's inhabitants didn't seem… right. They shambled back and forth, muttering praises of the color blue and one "Mr. Carpainter," who he gathered was the leader of the village. Certain people weren't dressed in normal clothes but rather blue suits with pointed, face-concealing hoods and black ties. These cultist-looking citizens wandered around with buckets of paint, brushing over any surface they could find that wasn't already blue. They too mumbled fanatical odes to their bizarre religion. The apex of this surreal place came in the form of a blue-painted cow, mindlessly wandering the dirt roads. He could hear its thoughts, and unsurprisingly it was also devoted to the village's sole color. Whatever he'd expected from Everdred's warning, this wasn't it.

By staying in the bushes on the outskirts of town, Ness was able to go unnoticed and sneak past. Even if Happy Happy Village hadn't been the source of suspicious happenings, he felt like the mere sight of his red cap would make the people irrationally angry. It was best to slip by without attracting attention.

And slip by he did, as he followed the psychic draw he felt toward what he hoped was Paula's location. Based on its guidance she wasn't in the town itself but instead through yet another short tunnel at the far end of it, behind a building that looked like a mansion. A crowd of more hooded cultists stood in front of it, eerily silent and unmoving. Ness only hoped Paula was also wearing blue, or else sneaking the pair of them out would be a problem.

He felt a faint heat in his pocket. Confused, he pulled out the source: Buzz Buzz's remains, the Sound Stone. It was shining a faint gold in response to something, though he couldn't be sure what. Ness put it away and kept moving into the tunnel, resolving to investigate it later. He had enough on his plate as it was.

There were no enemies inside the cave to his relief, and found himself able to relax after the tense walk across Happy Happy Village. Even better, the pull was getting harder. He ran as fast as he could until he reached sunlight on the far end of the tunnel, which opened up to reveal something miraculously non-blue: a wooden shack, sitting in the middle of a grassy patch of the ravine. Never before had the sight of faded white paint made him so relieved.

Crows lounged about, picking at the grass until he walked by, at which point they scattered to the air. Ness prayed that they wouldn't attract attention from the villagers and rushed to the shack's door; the pull was _overwhelming_. He flung it open, entering with a single-minded motivation which was only distracted by the sound of a girl's worried voice on the other end of the cramped room.

"H-hello…?"


	11. Boy Meets Girl

Chapter 11: Boy Meets Girl

"Paula?" he blurted out. He could feel his heart pounding as he stepped further into the darkened shack. The girl's voice was identical to the one that had spoken to him in his dream.

"Ah! N-Ness? Is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm here! Hold on, I can't really see…"

"There's a light switch next to the door," she said back with a relieved sigh.

Ness found the switch and turned it on. The dusty, cracked lightbulb in the ceiling wasn't much of an improvement, but it was better than nothing. He could finally get a look at the person he'd spent so long searching for.

She was behind a locked metal door, peering through the barred window at him. Her pale-skinned face was smudged with dirt, and he flinched when he noticed a bruise along her cheek. Paula, however, was smiling at him. Her soft blue eyes looked him up and down from behind her messy golden hair, and Ness became aware of how dirty he'd gotten on the walk there. Maybe it was just the adolescent in him, but he wished he could've made a better first impression for her.

"I'm so glad you found me," she said, grinning. "Are you okay?"

Ness stepped closer and realized that the bruise was bigger than he'd initially thought.

"Forget me, are _you_ okay?"

She touched her cheek, and her smile faltered a bit.

"Ah… no, don't worry about me. They just got a little rough when they brought me here. Really, I'm okay."

Not convinced, he pointed a finger at her. Paula's eyes widened.

"PSI Lifeup: Alpha."

To his satisfaction, her bruise disappeared. She looked astonished at the ability.

"Wow, you can heal with your PSI? I can't do that."

Ness chuckled.

"Yeah, it's helped me out a lot already. I can also use Hypnosis, Healing, and something called Rockin'."

She gave an impressed whistle.

"Cool! I can't do any of that, but I _can_ use PK Fire. I'd have busted out of here already, but… well, setting a wooden shack on fire while I'm inside it isn't a great idea."

He was about to come up with a retort, but the sound of a growling stomach cut him off. Ness's eyes bulged when he realized it had come from her. Without hesitating he scrambled to pull the last sandwich out of the bag.

"Oh, don't worry about it-"

"No. This is yours, I'm not hungry."

He shoved it through the bars of the door into her hand. Paula looked down at it, then to his eyes, then back to the sandwich. Finally she unwrapped it and took a bite.

"…thanks. I haven't eaten anything today. I, uh, left home to meet you like I said, and I guess forgot breakfast."

Ness wanted to smirk, but felt it would be insensitive given how horrible the day had no doubt been for her.

"So…" he began, wondering what they were supposed to do now. "Is there a key to open your cell?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"The leader of this village, Mr. Carpainter, has it. He and a man in a black suit came here earlier, telling me I was going to be their new 'priestess,' whatever that means."

He decided not to mention what he'd heard about her being a sacrifice.

"I'm just glad you're safe," Ness said. "I'll take care of him and get you out, I promise. Do you need anything else before I go?"

Paula disappeared into a corner of her cell and returned with a circular metal object. It was some kind of badge, light bronze in color with the image of a yellow lightning bolt on it.

"Here, take this. My angel said she left this outside my house a few weeks ago… I, uh, didn't see her. She calls it the Franklin Badge. All she told me that night was it can reflect lightning, and it would be important. I think Mr. Carpainter might be able to control electricity, so this should help you."

Ness nodded and took it from her through the bars. He pinned it to his shirt, hoping that such a small badge would really keep him safe. Paula was smiling again, and it struck him just how much she was counting on him. His mind raced, trying to think of something cool to say.

"I'll, um, bust you out soon. You're gonna be home in no time."

So much for that, he sounded like an idiot. Paula must have thought so too, but she giggled at him and gave a thumbs-up.

"I'm holding you to that promise! Go kick a few blue butts for me, Ness!"

He shouldered his bat and backpack, walking out the door with one last look back. His chest felt light, and he had a new sense of motivation. He could do this- he WOULD do this!

Ness exited into the mid-afternoon sunlight and stopped in his tracks. A pair of cultists were standing in front of the shack, glaring at him through the holes in their blue hoods. Both of them were taller than him by at least a foot, but that didn't scare him.

"Oh good, you're here. I saw what you did to Paula, and I could use a few skulls to bash."

"Don't be too sure of that," a disturbingly familiar voice chuckled from behind them.

The cultists parted, revealing a pudgy boy with a mess of blond hair and a smug grin. His hands were in the front pocket of his blue overalls, and he rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Pokey…?" Ness asked, his mouth agape.

"The one and only," his neighbor replied. "And that's MASTER Pokey to you! Are you here to bother me?"

"What are you doing here? Do your parents know you left?"

"Pffft, who gives a crap about _them?_ Mr. Carpainter called me here in my sleep. He's made me an important person in Happy Happyism, you see. I've finally learned the truth of happiness from him, but some people- especially losers named Ness- just don't get it. We heard that this Paula girl's pretty special, so I helped take her here. I had to knock her around a bit until she cooperated, but you get the idea."

His fists clenched so hard they turned white. Pokey hadn't just kidnapped her, he'd been the one to give her that bruise too?!

"You'd better hope these two are enough to help you fight me," Ness snarled, "because when I get my hands on you I'm gonna tear that grin off your face."

Pokey took a step backwards.

"Oh please, I'm too important to deal with you. These guys will, though. Have at 'im, minions!"

He scurried off into the tunnel to Happy Happy Village, leaving Ness to contend with his blue-hooded peons. Fists clutching his bat, he charged at the cultists and took a hard swing before either could attack first. His powerful hit sent one of them reeling, while the other rushed in with a paintbrush raised. Ness yelped and backed away, feeling the brush swipe past his cheek instead of his eyes as the foe had intended. A splash of paint covered the right side of his face.

"Hah! That's all you've got?!"

His gloating was interrupted by the first enemy sweeping his legs out from under him. The hooded man had gotten up and was trying to stomp on his face.

"PK Rockin: Alpha!" Ness shouted, channeling his fury at Pokey's involvement. The attack scorched the air and knocked both cultists off their feet, throwing one face-first into the grass and the other against the shack. They gave feeble groans and stopped moving.

Another battle won, but he wasn't finished yet. He had to confront Carpainter, and if intuition told him anything he was in that mansion in the middle of the village. No doubt Pokey had made it back and was spreading news about him, and he wouldn't be able to fight off a whole crowd of Happy Happyists. His gaze turned to one of the unconscious cultists, specifically to his hood and suit.

"That'll work…"

Five or so minutes later, he had undressed the man and put on his uniform over his own clothes. In the summer heat he felt even hotter with two outfits, but hopefully once he took down Carpainter he wouldn't need to wear it again. The suit was big on him, and he needed to roll up the sleeves for it to be even remotely convincing. He just hoped the cultists would be too enthralled with its blue color to notice how awkward he looked. Ness marched back through the tunnel, ready for anything.


	12. Blue, Blue

Chapter 12: Blue, Blue

The crowd outside the mansion had disappeared, with only one hooded guard still by the door. Ness's yellow backpack and bat- held in plain sight- didn't seem suspicious to her at all, as she gestured to the door without question.

"Welcome, my friend," she said. "Mr. Carpainter is about to give his sermon, please enter and take your place among the blue world."

He used Hypnosis as he walked past, and the cultist slumped to the ground. Better safe than sorry; she could have attacked from behind.

"Alright, now where do I-"

It wasn't difficult to find where the cult had gathered. At least a hundred of them were crowded in the mansion's main hall, staring up at a podium. An older man stood before them, dressed in a suit of his own with a blue-dyed goatee and thin hair reaching around the back of his head. His eyes- green, surprisingly- peered at the crowd from behind a pair of rectangular glasses. Pokey was at his side, grinning.

"Welcome, followers of Happy Happyism!" Carpainter spoke in a deep voice. "Today we gather to celebrate our revelation, the revelation that all happiness lies with a blue world!"

A cheer rose from the crowd but died down when he continued.

"Before we commence our daily worship, I would like to introduce a very important man to you all. It was with his assistance that I have become enlightened, so it's only fair that you get to meet him as well.

Carpainter turned and gestured to a man approaching from behind him. A horrified gasp spread through the cultists when they saw that he wasn't wearing blue, but rather a sharp black suit and tie with a white undershirt. Like the cult's leader he wore glasses, but his were much rounder. He brushed a few strands of hair out of his lightly tanned face and chuckled as he stepped onto the podium. Strangely, despite his white hair he didn't seem more than ten years older than Ness.

"Fear not, my brethren!" Carpainter announced, "Though he does not wear blue I assure you he is just as happy as the rest of us. This is Mr. Megane, a man of great intellect and worldly experience!"

Ness couldn't risk approaching with so many cultists around him, so he waited to hear what this new person had to say. Was he the black-suited man Paula had mentioned? Given the cult's devotion to blue, it likely wasn't anyone else.

"My friends, I'm deeply humbled by your welcome," Megane said. Something didn't feel right about the grin on his face, even by the standards of the rest of them. "Your leader is wise to have led you down this path, and I trust you will continue in your efforts to make the world happy."

Another cheer. Ness made sure to join in, so nobody would suspect him of anything.

"BUT," the enigmatic man boomed, "there are those who would take this peace away from you… I speak of a boy named Ness, as young Master Pokey here has informed me. He is no doubt plotting your destruction at this very moment."

"Unforgivable!"

"Kill him!"

"He doesn't deserve to go to heaven!"

Megane held up a hand.

"Peace, friends! Know that he won't succeed. Know that you, the Happy Happyists, will bring about his downfall here. I've provided your great leader with the power to overcome the wretched boy, and I am certain he will defeat him."

The uproar began again, and Ness felt increasingly worried about spending too much time there. If someone took notice of him, he was as good as dead.

"Regrettably, I must take my leave now. I wish you all good fortune in your futures. Blue, blue!"

"BLUE, BLUE!" roared the cultists.

Megane stepped off the podium and down the hall, walking past him just a few yards away. Ness could have sworn he saw the white-haired man smirk at him as he exited, red eyes glinting behind his glasses.

"And now," Carpainter said, "let us commence our prayers. Please begin without me, I'll be back soon."

He walked through a door in the back of the room and shut it behind him. Pokey disappeared somewhere into the crowd as well, and the cultists all began to murmur under their breaths.

"Blue, blue…"

"Blue, blue…"

"Blue, green- wait, that's not it…"

Ness edged his way through them, occasionally having to push one aside to get across the room. None of the people he moved past reacted to him at all, just focusing on their twisted faith without so much as a glance. Not that he was complaining, of course. And as much as he wanted to bash Pokey's smug face in, he knew that Carpainter came first.

Speaking of whom, he finally got through the crowd and to the door the man had disappeared inside. Checking to make sure nobody was watching, Ness followed after him, coming to a small room with a staircase at the far end of it. A mustached receptionist was at a desk blocking his way, though he wasn't dressed in a hood but rather a simple blue suit.

"Can I help you?" he asked, just as fooled by Ness's disguise as the others.

"Yeah, is Mr. Carpainter still here? I need to talk to him for, uh, spiritual guidance."

He nodded and pointed up the stairs.

"Right this way. I'll be sure to hold other visitors here, to keep your counseling session private."

"That- that's perfect, thank you!" he said, not believing his luck.

With that taken care of, Ness darted up the steps to the second floor of the mansion. He was greeted by a wooden door, behind which he could hear Carpainter muttering… to himself, it seemed.

"I don't get it… Mr. Megane said those robots of his would deal with the boy, but Pokey reported him nearby… if he got past them, he's probably coming for _me_ now! What should I do?"

Maybe he could sneak up on him in his ramblings. He opened the door as quietly as was possible and crept inside. Carpainter was on his knees in front of an altar, facing away from him. Ness's gaze snapped to the main focus of the room, a golden statue of a demonic-looking figure with a sword in its hands. Had the Happy Happy leader been talking to it?

 _"_ _Isn't that the statue Lier X. Agerate showed me the other night? I'd heard it was stolen, but… how did it get here?"_

Just like the first time he saw it, Ness felt an inexplicable pull toward the statue. Its alluring golden shine stood out among all the blue. He wanted it… he wanted it so badly…

"Gah! You surprised me!" Carpainter yelped, having noticed him.

He was snapped out of his trance and cursed under his breath. If he hadn't just stood there he might have been able to take his enemy down without a real fight.

"…hold on a moment. That outfit doesn't seem to fit you right… you aren't one of us, are you? You- you must be Ness!"

So much for his plan. He threw the hood off and unbuttoned the suit, glad to be rid of his hot extra clothing. Holding his bat out in front of him, he adopted a determined battle stance.

"I don't really want to fight you, so just give up and let Paula go. Disband this whole cult, and nobody has to get hurt. Got it?"

Carpainter chuckled.

"Such a brave boy! Why don't you join us in our quest to make the world blue? You can be my right-hand man, or maybe my left if that's not good enough for you. Pokey tells me you're quite the capable fighter."

"I'll prove it if you don't give up," he warned.

The man's twitchy eyes narrowed, and he raised a paintbrush in his right hand.

"I thought as much. Your existence threatens my religion; my happy and peaceful world. If I am to bring about this blue paradise… I must eliminate you! Have a taste of my Crashing Boom-Bang Attack!"

His memory flashed back to the day before, when he'd made up that name to scare off the Sharks. And now here it was, actually being used against him.

"Oh you've gotta be kid-"

A surge of electricity crackled out of Carpainter's brush, scorching the air as it raced toward him. He didn't have time to defend himself and took the attack head-on. To his amazement, it didn't seem to hurt at all. Ness looked down and saw that his electricity had been drawn to the Franklin Badge on his shirt, reflecting off it and burning a hole against the floor. His heart was racing, but aside from that he was completely unharmed.

 _"_ _I'll have to thank Paula for that."_

Confidence soaring now, he rushed at his foe for a bat strike. Ness closed the distance and took a swing at Carpainter's stomach, but found himself striking empty air where the man had been just a second earlier.

"What the-"

"Hm! So you _are_ full of surprises," he heard to the right. His enemy had seemingly disappeared from the spot and emerged a few yards away. "Don't get cocky, boy. Even if my powers fail, I'm more than capable of taking you down."

He brought his bat up again, only for Carpainter to melt away into thin air with a hazy blue glow. Ness's eyes were as wide as dinner plates- how was he doing that?

"Impressive, no?"

The voice came from behind him, followed by a hard blow to the back of the head. He stumbled forwards and fell onto one knee. Not giving up his pursuit, Carpainter appeared directly in front of him and grabbed Ness by the front of his shirt. He was lifted into the air, then tossed haphazardly against the wall.

"Hohohoho! The almighty 'hero' is no match for an old man!" he cackled, spinning his paintbrush around in his fingers.

Ness groaned and got to his feet again. He'd dropped his bat, but he still had a good amount of energy for PSI.

"PK Rockin': Alpha!"

The psychic explosion rumbled across the small chamber, and this time his enemy wasn't able to dodge it. Carpainter was thrown away from him, allowing Ness time to pick up his weapon. He worried, though, that Rockin' was his only method of reliably dealing damage. If that was the case, he wasn't sure his energy would last the whole fight.

"Hmph! Time to utilize my Kung-Blue skills!"

The cultist dipped his brush into a bucket he'd fetched from across the room and swept it through the air. A splatter of blue paint flew off the bristles, covering Ness's face and stinging his eyes. As he frantically tried to rub it off, he felt a solid punch connect to his gut and doubled over again.

"It really is a shame you have to be destroyed," Carpainter chuckled. "I almost hate to do this to such an impressive young man. Almost."

He dove to the side just in time to avoid a stomp aimed at his face. Ness finally cleared his vision and got on his feet for a second time. His teeth were clenched tight, his fists tighter. He was shaking, his whole body was trembling with irrational rage and he didn't know why. Even if the cultist had the upper hand, nothing had happened to trigger such an extreme reaction in him. What was going on?

It didn't matter. A PSI ability was whispered into his head, and he wasted no time in putting it to use.

"PK ROCKIN': BETA!"

A resounding "boom" thundered around the chamber and his stored energy flared outwards in a blinding flash of purple and white. Through the dazzling lights he could see Carpainter being struck again and again by his newfound ability.

His enemy's clothes were in tatters once the attack died down at last, but he wasn't down for the count. Worse still, Ness felt utterly exhausted. Even Lifeup would require too much energy to use.

"Ugh… you… you brat… this time I'll remove your sight _permanently!_ "

Carpainter disappeared from his spot in the corner of the room and melted back into existence mere yards in front of him. He swiped his brush through the air again, and Ness only managed to dodge it by collapsing onto his knees at the last second; he was too tired to roll aside.

"What- oh no!"

The man's eyes had gone wide, staring at something behind Ness. He took advantage of his distraction and sprang off his knees into a head-butt, smashing the cultist in the chin. Carpainter stumbled back, and he followed it up with a punch to the stomach. He didn't seem able to disappear for some reason, which Ness capitalized on by delivering a kick to his face. _Finally_ the man went down, collapsing onto his backside and making no effort to get up.

He realized that the anger which had overtaken him before was gone, and in its place a multitude of new techniques came to mind. PK Shield: Alpha and PSI Paralysis: Alpha, alongside PK Flash: Alpha and PSI Lifeup: Beta echoed across his brain together. Had he not been so tired he would have jumped for joy at all the new possibilities.

Ness looked behind him to see what had gotten Carpainter's attention. To his surprise, the golden statue's face was covered in the paint his last attack had missed with. He wondered if the artifact had given him the power to disappear like that, and if by obstructing its view it lost its influence. Lucky break for him, he supposed.

"Ughhhh…"

Speaking of the cultist, he was rubbing his head with a dazed look in his eyes. He glanced up at Ness and cringed.

"You- you broke me out of my curse. That statue back there, do you see it?"

Wary of a possible counterattack, he nodded but kept his distance.

"I received that from a peculiar man whose name I didn't quite catch. It's called 'Mani Mani,' and ever since I got it I have been doing… _strange_ things. Please, forgive me. I just wanted a normal life, I never meant for all this to happen."

"…okay."

Carpainter pulled a silver key out of his suit pocket and held it out.

"I will dispose of that statue and focus on helping the village recover from this nightmare. Go on and rescue Paula; this is my apology to you."

He took the key, helping the man to his feet in the process. Ness himself almost collapsed from the exertion, but at least the battle was over. Parting ways with Carpainter, he headed back toward the stairs and toward Paula's long-awaited freedom… as well as a color other than blue.


	13. The Chosen Two

Chapter 13: The Chosen Two

The cultists had all but disbanded downstairs. Blue hoods and clothing littered the floor, and only a few people were left wandering the mansion in a daze. Ness felt a certain satisfaction when he made it outside to find the townsfolk casually chatting with each other and reuniting with loved ones. Some were even beginning to paint over the endless blue covering the buildings. He'd impacted the lives of so many people, and it felt good to think that he would continue on to save the world.

Yes… he _would_ do that. If he wasn't sure of it before, he definitely was by then. It wouldn't be easy, but with the other "chosen ones" he would see Buzz Buzz's mission through to the end. As it happened, his first companion was waiting for him at that very moment.

Tired, aching, but victorious all the same, he marched back through the tunnel beyond the mansion. He kept the key in his hand all the way to the shack on the other side, throwing the door open and letting out a triumphant whoop.

"You're okay!" Paula cheered. Her wide grin faltered when she saw how beaten-up he was. "Er… _are_ you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he said, undoing the lock to her door. Ness stood back as it swung open and let her out.

Now that he could see more than just her face, he found she was wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt with small white frills at the top. A matching skirt covered her waist, reaching to her knees. She had a red bow tied in the back of her hair, not unlike one his sister owned. Come to think of it, even her hairstyle looked similar to Tracy's. Her feet were covered by red sneakers.

Paula fetched something from inside her cell and emerged with a single-strapped red bag over her shoulder. In one hand she carried a maroon teddy bear, in the other a frying pan. She smiled at him once she was by his side.

"I really can't thank you enough for saving me… I'll do my best to help you from now on, to make up for the trouble. What do we do first?"

He held the shack's door open for her as they left.

"There's a place near Happy Happy Village I think we should check. It might have another Sanctuary to visit."

She stopped to appreciate the afternoon sun a bit, then turned back to him with a frown.

"Sanctuary? What's that?"

"I'll explain as we go, come on!"

Ness was about to lead her into the tunnel, but a loud electronic screech came from above them. He stepped back as something metal crashed to the ground before him: the second robot he'd encountered earlier. It still had a bit of mud on its head from his distraction.

"Paula, get behind me!" he shouted as its arms began to spin again.

She didn't move from her spot, reaching a hand out toward the robot and smirking.

"No way! PK Fire: Alpha!"

A stream of flames burst from her outstretched fingers and completely enveloped the spinning robot. When Paula lowered her hand, the machine had been reduced to a smoldering pile of darkened metal. She blew on her fingertips like a gun.

Ness gaped at the display of power. It was incredible, she didn't even seem that tired afterwards! He could barely use Rockin' without feeling winded, and here she was doing _that_ without breaking a sweat.

"Pretty cool, right?" she chirped. "I can take care of myself."

"Do you use that to cook with the frying pan?" he asked as they walked back through the tunnel.

"Huh, I never thought about that. I'm not a great cook though, so I doubt it would work. The frying pan's gonna be my weapon in case something gets too close."

It was no baseball bat, but he figured her PSI would make up for the weaker weapon. They emerged into Happy Happy Village and were about to head for the east path, when a call from above stopped them.

"Hold on there, kids! It's photo time!"

The black-suited, gold-bearded man Ness had encountered the morning before dropped out of the sky and landed before them. He was holding his camera in front of him.

"Oh wow, who's this?" Paula asked.

He tipped his hat to her and grinned.

"I'm a photographic genius, young lady! I'll be dropping in every now and then to keep an album of your adventure. The brave hero, joined by his first partner and ready to take on the world… oh yeah, that'll be a fond memory indeed! Alright, smile for the camera!"

"We, uh, really should be going," Ness began, still getting over the shock of his sudden appearance. "There's a place nearby that we need to…"

The camera man was giving him a firm, piercing stare from behind his glasses. Something about the look on his face terrified him more than anything he'd encountered thus far, and Ness found himself frozen to the spot with an involuntary smile and holding up two fingers. Paula, apparently not affected by the same fear, giggled and stood beside him with her own pose. The man snapped a picture, then soared back into the air.

"That was neat," his new companion said.

"Are you kidding? He freaked me out!" Ness sputtered.

She just shrugged.

"I've never seen a person like that before. So where to next?"

Digging the Sound Stone out of his pocket, he held it out in front of him. Like before it began to glow, with the light being brighter toward a cave on the east side of Happy Happy Village.

"This stone absorbs the power of places called Sanctuaries," he explained as he began to walk in the light's direction. "The future bug- his name was Buzz Buzz- told me there are eight we'd have to find. I already got one, so the Sound Stone must be reacting to another nearby."

Paula nodded.

"Okay. What happens when we get all of them?"

They entered the tunnel, and he turned on his flashlight. He admittedly wasn't sure how to answer her question.

"Uh… Buzz Buzz didn't say what specifically. He just told me we'd have the power to fight Giygas after that."

"Ooh! Do you think we'll get superpowers?" she almost squealed. "I mean, I know we already have PSI but imagine if we could fly and shoot eye lasers too!"

Ness grinned at the thought.

"I hope so! Or maybe the melodies unlock a giant robot for us to control."

"Or what about a pet dragon? You know, just _squash_ all the bad guys with it!" she added.

They spent the next few minutes proposing various ideas of how the Sanctuaries were going to help them in the end. While Ness had initially worried that Paula would be like some of the spoiled, prissy girls he'd been classmates with in school, any of his fears were dashed the longer they spent chatting. She had a vivid imagination, possibly even more than he did. It put a smile on his face to finally have a traveling partner he could actually relate to; the closest before then had been Picky.

"Hey, Ness? I think we're going in circles."

She was right, the tunnel had curved in on itself and he hadn't even noticed. The Sound Stone was still glowing, but it didn't seem to be giving them more than a general idea of where to go next.

"Ugh, shoot. It's too dark even with the flashlight."

Paula suddenly shrieked and hurried to his side, looking at the cave's floor all around them. She was clutching her teddy bear to her chest.

"S-something just moved past my feet!"

He could feel it too. Shining his flashlight down, he noticed a brown-furred mole the size of a football looking at them… _was_ it looking at them? He'd heard somewhere that most moles were blind, and yet its eyes seemed focused on-

"Look out!"

Ness wanted to slap himself for getting distracted again. The mole lunged for him and tried to bite at his legs, but Paula reacted faster than him and scooped it up into her frying pan. When the wild animal scrambled to jump at her face, she launched it away into the darkness of the cave. He shone the light around and saw nothing; she must have scared it off.

"Phew, nice save," he said to her.

"If the moles want to play rough, I can too!" Paula whooped. She didn't seem afraid anymore and swung her pan around like a tennis racquet.

Ness found what he hoped was a tunnel they hadn't explored yet and continued the search. They were jumped by another pair of moles, but made short work of them and kept going in high spirits. Not even the darker, damper reaches of the cavern could keep them down, though Ness _was_ beginning to hope that not all of the Sanctuaries would be found in caves.

Something up ahead was shifting in the darkness, standing upright to greet them. A shine of the flashlight revealed it to be a brown bear on its hind legs. The rather dopey smile on its face, while disarming, wasn't fooling Ness. He could still hear its thoughts like every other animal, and it was no less hostile than them.

(Boy… girl… eliminate them, for Master Giygas…)

He figured this was as good a time as any to experiment with some of his new abilities, using PSI Paralysis: Alpha to stop the bear in its tracks. Paula took the opportunity to cast Fire, though it didn't have as much of an effect against it as either of them had hoped. Worse still, the bear was beginning to move again. It swiped a paw at Ness and caught him in the side, sending him back with fresh cuts. He used Lifeup: Beta to mend the wounds as fast as he could; the bear had moved on to stomping toward Paula.

"H-help me out here!" she yelled, throwing another burst of flames at it.

Ness scrambled to his feet and aimed his fingers at the bear. He couldn't use Rockin' or Paralysis from that distance without the risk of hitting Paula, so he tried Hypnosis instead. Either it was too far from him or his technique was ineffective against bears, because nothing happened and it continued to lumber toward his new friend.

"Crap, I can't get over there in time…"

He remembered he'd learned one more ability after defeating Carpainter. Thinking fast, Ness threw his bat at the bear and heard it connect with a satisfying "clunk." It barely did anything, but did attract its attention for a second. Pointing his fingers out again, he yelled an instruction.

"Paula, close your eyes! PK Flash: Alpha!"

A swirl of green light emitted from his fingertips and burst in front of the bear's face. It growled and stumbled, blinded by the light. To his relief, Paula had done as told and didn't suffer the same fate. They regrouped behind their enemy and nodded to each other, both holding their hands out.

"PK…" they said together.

"Fire!" Paula cried.

"Rockin'!" he followed up.

Thrusting their hands forward, they finished in unison.

"Alpha!"

The combined energy of their attacks overwhelmed the bear while it continued blindly staggering about. It was obscured by the light from their PSI strikes, then flopped to the ground with a grunt.

"We did it!" Ness cheered, holding a hand out toward Paula.

She had a huge grin on her face as she returned the high-five, but flinched and rubbed at her forehead afterwards.

"I just got this weird chill," she mumbled. "P… PK Freeze…?"

He smiled.

"You got a new PSI ability! That feeling happens every time I get something, and whatever I learn is whispered to me by… uh, myself."

Paula's fingertips were emitting a pale blue light. She clenched her fist to cancel out the technique and picked up her frying pan.

"I can't wait to try that out. Hey, great move with PK Flash back there! Have you been practicing it?"

He rubbed the back of his head.

"To be honest, I didn't know what it would even do. That was the first time I've ever used it, and I just had to hope 'flash' meant what I thought it did. For all I knew it could've really hurt you."

She just shrugged with a grin.

"It worked, so I'm okay with the risk you took. Are we near this Sanctuary?"

"We should be, the Sound Stone's getting brighter. And the first one had a tough guardian for me to deal with. That bear must have been it, so I'm sure it's around here-"

Ness was cut off by a low, deep growl from further ahead. It sounded different than the bear's, or in fact any animal he'd ever heard. Rumbling footsteps were coming toward them. He felt a spike in energy just like Titanic Ant had been exerting.

 _"_ _No…! That wasn't the guardian?!"_

He and Paula held their weapons tight as something stomped into view. The flashlight, sitting on the floor where it'd been dropped during their previous battle, illuminated a monstrous brown creature. It towered above them both, baring a set of jagged teeth and claws that looked like they could shred through stone. The creature's nose sniffed at the air, and it turned to face them.

"Welcome to Lilliput Steps, Ness," it said aloud in a very deep voice, "this is the second Sanctuary you've visited, I believe. Master Giygas should have deployed me to stop you from the beginning, rather than a mere ant. I see you've gained a friend… how touching! I might cry."

Paula's fingers lit up with the red glow of PK Fire.

"I-if you don't get out of our way, you'll be crying alright!"

"Yeah! We're not afraid of you!" Ness shouted, pointing his bat at the monster. He _was_ scared, quite a bit actually, but Paula's confidence seemed to rub off on him.

"Oh yeah? Good, don't run from me. It'll be easier to rend you limb from limb! The name of Mondo Mole will be etched into your bones!"

Their enemy reared back and lunged. Ness dove one way, Paula the other. Now surrounding the monster, they opened with a pair of PSI attacks.

"PK Flash: Alpha!"

"PK Fire: Alpha!"

Mondo Mole shrugged off the flames like there were nothing. As if that wasn't bad enough, the blast of Ness's light didn't seem to faze it at all. In fact, the only person he hit was Paula on the other side, who rubbed at her face with a pained cry.

"M-my eyes! Why didn't you warn me, Ness?!"

"Sorry!" he shouted back, jumping aside to avoid the mole's claws as it came for him.

He tried to swing his bat onto the monster's head, only for it to grab the weapon in midair.

"Ho ho! Did you try to blind me just now, kid? I'm already blind!"

"Crap…"

Ness was swatted off by the back of Mondo Mole's paw, landing in a heap a few yards from it. He struggled to get up before it could score another hit, but the creature was already charging for him.

"PK Freeze: Alpha!"

A blue light shone behind the mole, and it staggered when something struck its back. Small shards of ice had formed around it, slowing it down enough for Ness to roll aside and dodge its claws. He picked up his bat and put more distance between himself and Mondo Mole.

Paula kept her fingers pointed and chanted another icy blast, scoring a second blow. She circled around their enemy until she was beside Ness again.

"Thanks for the save. That's a cool ability!" he remarked.

"No problem, I- did you just make a pun?"

She was narrowing her eyes at him.

"Uh… I didn't mean to?"

"If it's puns you want," growled Mondo Mole, "you should've said so! But I'll have to _cut_ you short, I'm afraid."

It ground its claws together as if to prove how sharp they were.

"Not you too!" Paula moaned, preparing another attack.

Ness grinned and used Paralysis to slow down the charging mole, giving his ally time to unleash a third Freeze. It roared and bared its fangs as it shook off the ice.

"Little runts! I'm done messing around."

"Chill out, big guy!" Ness heckled, eliciting a groan from his friend.

"Do you _have_ to do that?"

"C'mon Paula, that was the perfect setup!"

Mondo Mole, evidently annoyed by them not paying attention to it, tunneled underground and was out of sight. They could still feel vibrations below them as it burrowed through the cave.

"Ten bucks says it tries to pop up right under us?" Ness asked.

"Yep," Paula said in a flat tone.

The pair stomped their feet in unison just as the mole broke the surface between them, landing two solid kicks against its nose. It howled in pain and thrashed around, knocking them both away before pulling itself out of the dirt.

"Ugh… Paula!"

Ness was on his stomach and too far away to stop the monster as it charged her, its claws outstretched. None of his offensive PSI would do much good without the risk of harming her as well, so he only had one more ability to try.

"PK Shield: Alpha!"

A whitish light spread from his fingertips and engulfed Paula just before Mondo Mole closed the distance. She was hit by its claws across the stomach, and even from where he lay he could see the cuts on her shirt and into her skin. Her eyes went wide from the shock as she stumbled backwards, but she managed to choke out one last Freeze before toppling over. The blast of ice struck the mole directly in its face, and it took a step away from her. Ness got up and sprinted over, taking the chance to smash his bat against the back of its head. His weapon suffered more than its target, however, as it snapped completely in half.

Mondo Mole rounded on him again and brought both claws toward his face. He shut his eyes before they could be gouged out, and he heard something tearing in front of him. Ness didn't feel any pain, however, and when he opened his eyes he found that the mole's claws were covered by the mangled remains of a teddy bear. He glanced toward Paula, who had thrown it between them at the last second. Despite her bleeding stomach wounds, she gave him a weak smile.

With his enemy preoccupied trying to get the stuffing off, Ness backed up and swept a hand forward in a slashing motion.

"PK Rockin': Beta!"

The attack left him with very little energy like before, but unlike against Carpainter it succeeded in putting down his foe in one shot. Mondo Mole was thrown clear across the tunnel and slammed into the wall. It slumped to the ground, no longer moving. Rather than celebrate his victory, Ness ran to Paula first. Buzz Buzz's death against the first Sanctuary guardian was all he could think of, and he wouldn't let it happen to her too.

"P… PSI Lifeup: Beta," he stammered out when he saw her bloody torso. The slash wounds closed after a moment, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great job," Paula said, sitting up and trying to wipe some of her blood away. "Are you okay?"

He was panting hard; using two Beta-level PSI techniques in a row had completely drained him.

"D-don't worry about me. I'm… I'm sorry I couldn't stop it from attacking you… I wasn't fast enough to help."

Paula's eyes seemed to light up.

"Ness… you _did_ help. That shield you gave me absorbed most of the damage. I'd probably be dead if it weren't for you."

"R… really?"

"Yeah!" she replied, beaming at him. "You've saved me twice today."

He huffed a short laugh, still trying to catch his breath.

"I guess I did… I'm sorry about your bear, though."

Her smile faltered a bit as she looked at the torn remains of it. Ness realized how much it must have meant to her, being her sole companion when she was imprisoned.

"That's okay… I have another one back home."

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, and Ness couldn't help but feel bad. Paula must have noticed the look on his face, because she smiled again and stood up.

"Come on, you said the Sanctuary should be ahead. Right?"

He picked up the flashlight and dug the Sound Stone out of his pocket.

"Right. Let's go!"

Indeed, an exit to the cave was up ahead. The tunnel opened up to a small, grassy clearing with a few trees scattered around. Ness's attention was caught by what must have been the Sanctuary itself: a short, looping trail of miniature footprints in the dirt. They didn't look human in shape, but he couldn't tell what might have made them. Mondo Mole had referred to them as "Lilliput Steps," not that he knew what those were. Regardless, he held the Sound Stone over the prints and closed his eyes.

A faint memory flashed before him, and he saw a brief glimpse of a baby wearing a diaper and a red baseball cap. The image faded after just a moment, leaving behind a feeling of peace in Ness. He felt his fatigue wash away as a short series of notes began to echo in his head. The melodies from Giant Step and Lilliput Steps combined to make a slightly longer tune.

He opened his eyes and put the Sound Stone back in his pocket. Paula was behind him, a curious look on her face.

"Did, uh, you do whatever you had to?"

"Yeah, we're done here. We can head back to Twoson now."

Sharing a grin at their victory, the pair set off on the trail back to town. Ness knew he still had a long way to go on his journey, but with Paula's company maybe it wouldn't be so bad.


	14. Peaceful Rest

Chapter 14: Peaceful Rest

Ness and Paula made it back to Happy Happy Village without further harm from wild animals. It was early in the evening, and the sun had already begun to set over the horizon. The town was cast into a soft orange glow, thankfully not contrasted by the color blue as most of it had been painted over. The townsfolk were beginning to shut themselves indoors for the night, save for one portly blond-haired kid who waddled over to Ness with a dramatic moan.

"Oh, best buddy! There you are! I just woke up from the _worst_ dream… there was blue, and robots, and I think people in hoods… everyone was in trouble! But not me, right? I'm not going to get in trouble, am I? None of it was _my_ fault!"

Pokey Minch: living proof that even after a major victory, fate had it out to get on Ness's nerves.

"Relax, you're fine like everyone else," he said without even trying to hide his annoyance.

"Yes!" his neighbor shouted, pumping his fists in the air. "I, Pokey, am the most innocent guy around!"

"Whatever," Ness muttered, rolling his eyes.

As Pokey sauntered off, whistling an obnoxious tune, Paula tapped him on the shoulder. Her nose was wrinkled, no doubt due to his scent of some unidentifiable meat.

"Who was that?"

He sighed and grumbled to himself.

"My neighbor. Nice, isn't he?"

"Hey pal, let's be friends again!" Pokey yelled from where he stood near the trail back to Twoson. A smirk crossed his face less than a second later. "NOT! You're still a loser, just like you were before!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?! I COULDN'T HEAR IT, YOU WANNA GET A LITTLE CLOSER?! I'LL FRY YOU LIKE THE GIANT PIG YOU ARE!"

Ness flinched at the _roar_ Paula let out, her eyes blazing as she stared daggers in Pokey's direction. He seemed to get the idea and hurried off through the tunnel, whimpering the whole way.

"Jerk," she huffed once he was gone. He didn't say anything for a moment, wondering if she was about to explode. Paula noticed his bewildered stare and brought a hand to her mouth.

"O-oh, sorry about that! I don't know what got into me there."

He managed to compose herself and grinned at her.

"You kidding? That was cool! I'll never forget the look on his face… now I wish the photo guy was here."

Her cheeks reddened a bit, and a laugh escaped her mouth. Another voice called out to them from nearby, interrupting the moment.

"Ah, welcome back!"

Carpainter was walking toward them, still dressed in his blue suit but with the dye in his now-gray hair gone. He had a pleasant smile on his face.

"The town is recovering even faster than I'd anticipated," he said, "and it's all thanks to you, Ness. Paula… oh, I can't apologize enough for all the trouble we've put you both through."

Ness smiled.

"Don't worry about it, that statue was the cause of all this. You got rid of it, right?"

Carpainter's expression fell.

"Ah… about that. Not long after you left to free Paula, Mr. Megane came back. He asked for the Mani Mani, but I told him it was dangerous and needed to be disposed of. When I had my back turned, he knocked me out! Both he and the statue were gone by the time I woke up."

That was troubling. Mr. Megane no doubt knew more about the Mani Mani than he let on, but he was still a mystery to Ness. He suspected they would cross paths again, one way or another.

"Something doesn't seem right about him," Carpainter added. "If you're going to seek him out, I'd be careful. In the meantime, though, are you headed back to Twoson?"

They nodded together. He cracked a smile and gestured to a green-painted building near the edge of town.

"It's getting dark, and Peaceful Rest Valley can be dangerous at night. Why don't you stay at our inn? I've already covered the expenses for you; it's the least I can do to help."

Grateful for a place to sleep rather than out in the open again, Ness gave him a nod.

"Yes, please."

"Thank you!" Paula called out to him as they parted ways.

Just as promised, the inn gave them a two-bed room with a bath for the night. Paula insisted on letting him shower before her, and he didn't argue- partially because he was _much_ dirtier, but more because he remembered her outburst at Pokey and suddenly didn't want to disagree with her on anything. While she was taking her turn afterwards, Ness (dressed in his blue and white striped pajamas) gave his family a call. This time he dialed his home number first, filling in his mother and Tracy on his progress. Predictably, they were most interested in hearing about his new companion.

"Well, Paula sounds like a nice girl. You be sure to watch out for her, all right?"

"Right, Mom," he echoed, obedient as ever. "She can handle herself, though. We ran into Pokey earlier, and he was his usual self. Paula went kind of… well, I don't think I've _ever_ seen him so scared. She even surprised me."

"Pokey was there?" came her stunned reply. "I heard from Mrs. Minch that he'd gone out and didn't come back. Is he okay?"

He decided not to mention the hypnotic Mani Mani statue's influence to her.

"I think so. He ran off somewhere once we got back to town. I don't know where he is now."

"Hm… I'll tell his parents in the morning. You be careful out there, okay?"

"And be sure to bring your new girlfriend here sometime!" his sister's voice screeched through the receiver. He covered it with a hand, blushing. Paula was still in the bathroom, thankfully, and didn't seem to have heard.

"It's not like that, Tracy!"

She could be heard cackling in the background. Even his mother giggled a bit.

"Don't mind her. But I do think you should introduce us to her if you're in the neighborhood!"

"I'll keep that in mind. Good night, Mom."

His father, to his relief, wasn't as interested in teasing him. He updated the record of his adventure, and proceeded to drop an _enormous_ bit of news on him.

"By the way, I've added $2500 to your bank account. Be sure not to spend it all at once, I might not be able to get you more for a while."

Ness didn't say anything, though he was trying his hardest to. His mouth flapped uselessly while he let the reality of that sink in. Over two grand… he'd never even _seen_ that much money before! That would be enough to buy them new weapons (his bat had broken, and the frying pan was badly dented) as well as more food for the trip.

"T… thanks, Dad!" he finally managed to say.

"Ha ha! Don't mention it, just keep up the good work out there! Call me back soon."

The call ended, and everything was quiet for a few minutes before Paula came out of the bathroom, wearing a soft pink nightgown to match her usual clothes and drying off her hair. She flopped into one of the beds, leaving him to take the other.

"We did great today," she sighed as she curled up under a blanket.

"I'll say. Only two days in and I've already found two of the Sanctuaries. This'll be a breeze at the rate we're going."

"Where to next?"

Ness thought about it.

"You mean after we get back to Twoson? I… uh, I'm not sure. The next town over might have something we need, but I heard we can't get through the tunnel that way."

Paula rolled over to look at him.

"Threed? You're right, ghosts are in the tunnel and won't let anyone pass. Yesterday I saw a bus go in there, but it just came back out after a few seconds. Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah…" he mumbled as sleep began to take him. "Crazy…"

* * *

 _"_ _Ness…"_

He snapped his eyes open at the sound of a voice. Judging by the endless black void around him, he was in another dream like when Paula had called to him the night before. It wasn't her this time, however. The voice was a boy's, quite a few years older than him by the sound of it.

 _"_ _Ness… you're Ness, aren't you?"_

 _"_ _I… uh, yeah. That's me. Who is this? Are you someone else I'm supposed to meet?"_

 _"_ _Ness… Ness, it hurts… my head hurts…"_

Unsettled but still curious, he pressed further.

 _"_ _Who are you? Do you need help? Tell me where you are!"_

 _"_ _To… Threed… you have to go to Threed, the next Sanctuary… oh, my head hurts so much…"_

He _did_ have to head there, then! If what the voice was saying could be trusted, anyway… it sounded like he needed help, but he wasn't giving any more information. On the contrary, his voice had suddenly shifted to a lower-pitched rasp.

 _"_ _Give up, Ness."_

Something was forming in the darkness before him. It was a human shape, but distinctly inhuman at the same time. The figure towered above him by a good several feet, tendril-like limbs hanging loosely at its sides. What looked like a thin tail swayed behind it, though he couldn't tell for sure because the figure was only visible as a glowing white silhouette… save for its head. Its face was _very_ human and bore a disturbing resemblance to his own, complete with a red cap sitting on the top.

 _"_ _Give up and run, Ness,"_ the voice said again. It barely sounded human now, replaced with a hoarse growl.

 _"_ _GIVE UP AND RUN!"_

He jolted upright in the bed, shaking uncontrollably.

Ness gasped for breath and wiped some of the copious sweat off his face, trying to process what had happened. The unfamiliar voice, that face, and the way he felt like he was being crushed under the pressure of the unknown person's speech all made him feel small, helpless, and watched. That wasn't a nightmare, it couldn't have been. It was too similar to when Paula had called to him.

Speaking of her, he looked to the other bed. She was still fast asleep, not having experienced the same disturbance as him- or at least he hoped so. Her light snores were the only noise in the room, which he was happy for; silence would have driven him insane at the moment.

What _was_ that? It had a human face that looked like his… well, not entirely. Now that he was able to think clearly he realized it wasn't a perfect match. The face had been a few years older than him, by the looks of it. A young adult in a red cap, shouting at him to give up… his thoughts turned to Buzz Buzz, who had come from a doomed future. Was that a message from himself ten years ahead, trying to explain the futility of his fight against Giygas? His heart skipped a beat; could it have _been_ Giygas in an attempt to demoralize him? Its body did seem more alien in nature, and he never learned what his enemy looked like.

Ness rubbed his eyes and laid back in the bed. A clock on the wall revealed that it was only four in the morning, but he didn't care about sleep. He just laid there, feeling his heartbeat settle down and wishing he were anyone else.


	15. The Return

Chapter 15: The Return

Sunrise came faster than expected, and Ness got out of bed to change and brush his teeth. He shut himself in the bathroom with his clothes, emerging a few minutes later in a fresh blue and yellow striped shirt and blue shorts- an identical outfit to what he'd worn yesterday, and the day before.

 _"_ _Maybe I should get some different stuff to wear…"_

Paula was awake by the time he got out. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes with a yawn.

"Morning, Ness… sleep well?"

"Yeah," he lied. "It's still early, so we should get back to Twoson before noon."

She dragged herself out of bed and went to change as well. Ness straightened out the sheets as much as he could to thank the inn's staff, though his mind was never once on anything besides his dream. The words "give up" spun around his head; no doubt a warning to him personally from whatever he'd been visited by.

 _"_ _I… I won't. I won't give up, not with the world at stake."_

Even so, it had told him to go to Threed. He couldn't think of anywhere else for them to visit aside from that, so it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Still, what if it was a trap? He already didn't have a good feeling about this.

Paula came out, like him, dressed in an outfit exactly like the one she was in the day prior. She must have had a similar sense of fashion.

"Okay, let's roll!" she declared.

He grinned, temporarily forgetting the stress of his dream from how upbeat she was.

"Right."

They departed Happy Happy Village, waving goodbye to Carpainter on their way out, and began the walk back through Peaceful Rest Valley. The hostile vegetation emerged to attack them once again, but by then Ness was strong enough to breeze through them with no difficulty. Paula, thanks to her more diverse offensive PSI, had even less trouble. Someone had repaired the bridge across the river, so the return trip lasted about two-thirds the time it had taken Ness to walk around earlier.

At some point, while they were fleeing from another territorial tree, the receiver phone in Ness's bag started to ring. He dug it out and pressed its sole button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, can you hear me?" Apple Kid's voice spoke into his ear.

"Yeah, I can. This is Ness."

He paused on the other end of the line for a moment.

"Ah, so that's your name! I guess I forgot to ask while you were here. Did the Pencil Eraser work?"

They'd escaped the tree, so he stopped to talk without distraction. Paula was giving the phone a funny look.

"It did, the metal pencil was gone in a second. I got to Happy Happy Village and rescued Paula, now we're-"

"Ooh, Paula's with you?" he cut in. "Say hi to her for me!"

She'd moved on to fighting another of Megane's spinning robots, but wasn't having much trouble with it.

"Apple Kid says hi," Ness yelled to her.

She smashed the robot's head off with her frying pan and trotted back over to him.

"Oh, I didn't know you two met. He's one of my neighbors. Ask him if the cyborg teddy is done yet!"

Ness repeated her question into the phone, wondering just how he'd gotten into this discussion.

"Not yet" was the answer, to which she seemed a little disappointed. Apple Kid finally got to the point a moment later.

"Anyway, I'm calling to let you know that Mr. Everdred wants to see you. He didn't say why, just that he has something important to let you know."

The boss of Burglin Park? Maybe he wanted to hear how the rescue mission had gone.

"Okay, I'll go talk to him. Do you know if those ghosts are still in the tunnel to Threed? We need to head that way next."

"They are," Apple Kid replied, "but I think I have an idea on how to get past them! They don't seem to like upbeat, cheerful music, so if you can play it in the tunnel they should leave you alone."

He raised an eyebrow.

"How did you find _that_ out?"

"Orange Kid let me borrow his machine. It was broken, so he said I could fix it up to test it against the ghosts. They stayed away from me when I walked in the tunnel, but I guess I was moving too slowly because they managed to kick me out after a while. If you can find a way to get through with happy music at a fast pace, you might be able to do it."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Apple Kid hung up, and Ness continued walking with Paula right behind him. As they entered the tunnel leading out of Peaceful Rest Valley, he explained the new information to her.

"We'll need a car or something to move fast enough," she mumbled. "I know, what about the Runaway Five? Their tour bus should work, and they always have the radio blasting. I could hear it from my house."

A jazz band _did_ seem like they could help, but Ness remembered the problem they were in.

"I don't think they can leave. The manager of the theater is keeping them there with a contract. They told me they'll need about ten grand to break it."

Paula scratched her head.

"Hm… maybe we can talk the manager out of it?"

* * *

They couldn't.

When the pair made it back to Twoson, they stopped by the Chaos Theater and were denied by the manager- a rotund, green-suited, mustached man who reminded Ness a little too much of Pokey's father- not even four words into their plea.

"Shoot…" Paula huffed. "That jerk!"

"We're close to Burglin Park," he said, recalling that Everdred wanted to see him, "but why don't we drop by your house first? I'm sure your parents are still worried."

She nodded, and they strolled down the road to the Polestar Preschool. Paula was on the receiving end of a tearful hug from her father the moment they walked in, and Ness decided to stay back. He didn't want to interrupt the family reunion, though he watched with a satisfied grin.

Paula's mother joined them in the hallway and hugged her as well, but without the same emotional outburst. She looked at Ness and smiled from ear to ear.

"We can't thank you enough for finding her. How can we ever repay you?"

As if to answer for him, his stomach audibly growled. All three members of the family glanced in his direction with expressions ranging from amusement to surprise. Paula in particular was stifling a giggle. He felt his face heat up; he hadn't eaten anything at all since the sandwich the day before. Ness, focused on his rescue mission, had managed to ignore it until then.

"I may have an idea," Mrs. Polestar said, a wry grin on her face.

He was either too afraid of offending them or just too hungry to decline the offer, and soon enough found himself having lunch with the family. They'd cooked steak at his (very meek) request and sat him down at the table without much choice on his part. Paula did most of the talking about their adventure while they ate, as he was too busy trying not to wolf down the entire steak at once. It was almost as good as the one his mother cooked.

"So, you two will be leaving again soon?"

Mr. Polestar was giving him an intense stare, as if sizing him up.

"Uh, yes sir," Ness answered. "I'll need all the help I can get on my quest, and-"

"Just the two of you… together?"

He was beginning to understand what her father was getting at, and his face turned pink. Before he could try to stumble out an explanation, Paula thankfully came to his rescue.

"Not just us, Dad! My visions told me a few days ago that we'd meet another friend in the next town."

"How many of you will there be?" he asked, apparently not convinced.

"I, um, don't know," Ness answered. "I only heard there'd be a chosen few people to save the world."

Mrs. Polestar cut in.

"You saved our little girl, so your word is good enough for me. Besides, you seem like a capable young man. I'm sure the two of you be perfect with each other's help."

This time he noticed Paula's face was flushed as well. They finished eating in awkward silence while her mother gave them both a knowing look. Her father just sighed quietly.

Ness offered his thanks for the meal and left the house. Paula was still inside, bidding goodbye to her family one last time. He wondered if it was as hard for her to leave as for him. If so, she didn't show it; she walked out with a bright smile on her face and a second teddy bear under one arm.

"Mom gave me some medicine and first-aid stuff," she said. "Just in case."

"I'm sure we'll need it."

They walked back down the street to Burglin Park, following the path to Everdred's house at the far end of it. He didn't jump from the roof this time, instead waiting by the front door and waving them down as they approached.

"So you saved her after all, kid! You must be pretty tough to make it through those Happy Happyists. Whaddya say about being my new partner?"

He had a world to save, and the idea of a life of crime didn't suit him much.

"Uh… no, thanks."

Everdred gave a booming laugh.

"I figured. Anyway, I have a gift for you. Don't try to refuse my generosity, I insist you take this off my hands."

Ness frowned and looked to Paula, who seemed just as clueless as him. Turning his attention back to the man, he felt his eyes bulge at the fat wad of dollar bills suddenly being presented to them.

"Ten thousand bucks, just for you! I definitely don't need it, but you kids might have a better use for the cash. Just be careful how you spend it, you don't wanna draw attention to yourselves… well, see ya! I'm off to investigate that gold statue Lier X. Agerate dug up."

With that, Everdred shut himself in his house and locked the door. Ness stared at the wad of bills until a realization hit them both.

"That's stolen money, isn't it?" Paula deadpanned.

"Probably."

"And if we try to use it for ourselves the police will notice?"

"Probably."

"And Everdred just gave it to us so the pressure's off him?"

"Looks like it," Ness remarked.

She groaned and put a hand to her forehead.

"Great, what are we gonna do with ten thousand dollars if we can't-"

Her voice trailed off and she looked up at Ness. She must have been thinking the same thing as him.

"…lets' go to the theater," was all he needed to say.


	16. Spotlight, Runaway Five!

Chapter 16: Spotlight, Runaway Five!

Racing back to the Chaos Theater with the wad of bills stowed away in Ness's backpack, they spotted the band's two leads outside by their bus. Gorgeous- the shorter, red-suited one- grinned and nudged his green-clad bandmate with his elbow when he saw them panting for breath.

"Check it out, Lucky. That kid from yesterday's back, and it looks like he has company."

"Whoa! You're Paula Polestar, aren't ya?"

"I am," she gasped after the sprint they'd just went through. "It's… nice to meet you… uh, Ness didn't tell me you wanted to see me."

The two cracked identical grins.

"'Ness,' huh? You two friends?" Lucky asked. "He must be one cool guy, if he won the heart-"

"We can help you get out of debt," Ness blurted out. He really wasn't in a hurry for more people to make assumptions about their relationship, especially after they just met the day before. "We have the money."

Gorgeous and Lucky glanced at each other again, this time in surprise.

"You… you serious?" the former pressed. "Geez, kid. I dunno where you got ten grand, but if you're offerin'… what do you want? We've gotta pay you back somehow."

"Can you take us to Threed?" asked Paula. "And get past those ghosts in the tunnel? It's important for us to go there."

"Shoot, is that all? Not a problem, miss," Lucky said with a smirk. "If ya really can break our contract, we'll head out right after our show. It starts in just a couple minutes, so you're just in time to see us!"

As interested as Ness was in getting to attend a concert for the first time, his eyes shifted to the line of annoyed townsfolk in front of the theater.

"Aren't tickets sold out?"

"Who said anything about tickets?" Gorgeous replied, winking from behind his shades. He withdrew a pair of blue cards from his jacket and passed one of each to them.

"Backstage passes?" Paula asked. Dinner plates were _microscopic_ compared to her eyes.

"Just a little extra 'thanks' from us," he chuckled. "You can enter our shows with those and see us beforehand! Meet you inside, kids."

Gorgeous and Lucky disappeared into a side door of the theater, leaving them amazed at their good fortune.

"Wow! I've never seen them play before, this'll be fun!" Paula cheered, throwing both hands into the air.

Her infectious enthusiasm spread to him yet again, and he found himself smiling as they walked through the front door. Their passes allowed them entry to the yellow neon-lit showroom as promised, merging into the crowd without anyone giving them a second glance. The two worked their way to a door labeled "Backstage" at the far end, guarded by a bored-looking man in a plain black suit.

"Excuse me, sir," Ness began, "we have-"

"Yeah, right this way," he mumbled, opening the door a crack for them without bothering to check their passes.

Ness frowned at his indifference but didn't argue, slipping inside with Paula behind him. The Runaway Five were in the middle of warming up, though they paused to look at them as they entered.

"There they are, our heroes!" chanted Gorgeous. "You kids sure you can get us outta here?"

"Definitely," Ness said. "We'll talk to the manager after the show."

Lucky got out of his chair and beckoned for the rest to follow him onstage. He and Gorgeous appeared to be singers only, while their bandmates played a cello, a saxophone, and a set of drums by the looks of it.

"In that case, what're we waitin' for? Let's get moving, boys… it's showtime!"

Paula had an ecstatic look on her face which Ness returned in full. They practically sprinted back to the showroom and joined the crowd again just in time for the lights to dim.

"Ladies, gents, and two special kids out there!" roared Gorgeous's voice through the speakers around the stage. "Tonight, the Chaos Theater's soul men are comin' at ya! Here we are, the world's greatest bluesmen… the Runaway Five!"

The stage curtains parted to reveal the band in various suave poses. Ness's eyes traced across each of them, from Gorgeous to Lucky to the other four musicians… wait, what?

He was fairly positive he wasn't imagining the keyboardist accompanying them toward the back of the stage. The rest of them didn't seem to care as they started playing an upbeat jazz song.

"Er… hey, Paula… I'm not crazy, right? Do you see six people up there too?"

"Woohoo! This is great!" she shouted, bouncing around and either not noticing or not caring about the inconsistent name. "C'mon Ness, show me some dance moves!"

Before he had a chance to protest, she grabbed him by the hands and pulled him closer. Having _absolutely_ no idea what to do in the situation, Ness let her lead him in jumping to the rhythm. It wasn't so bad after a minute or so; her smiling face lit by the flashing lights around the stage gave him an inexplicable sensation in his chest.

The performance was over just as he was beginning to really enjoy their "dance," and Paula released him from her surprisingly tight grip. While the rest of the crowd filed out to the exits, they slipped into the manager's office to give their plan a try.

"Ugh, you kids again?" he groaned, twirling his pencil-thin mustache like a cartoon villain. "What do you want now? Unless you've got big money for me, the Runaway Five aren't going anywhere. Scram!"

Ness smirked.

"We have money, all right… Paula, show him our gift."

She dug the wad of bills out of his backpack and slapped them down on the manager's desk. His eyes nearly sprang out of their sockets.

"T-that's gotta be…"

"Ten thousand bucks," Ness finished, a mischievous grin on his face. "You can have it if you let the band go."

The manager looked up at them, then back down at the money. A moment later he scooped it all into a drawer of his desk.

"Deal! Their contract is broken."

Suddenly the office door flung open and five of the members (minus the enigmatic keyboardist) burst in together.

"Whoa, they really did it!" Gorgeous said. "We're free boys, let's hit the road!"

The group gave a cry of liberation and exited just as fast as they'd come in. Lucky stayed behind long enough to call out to Ness and Paula.

"Our bus is waitin' for ya, we'll leave whenever you're ready!"

Sharing a high-five with each other, they dashed out in pursuit. The black tour bus was already blaring loud, funky music from the radio.

"Oh, wait a second!" Paula said, stopping a few yards away from the bus, "we should head to the department store to get some more supplies. You need a new bat, don't you?"

In the excitement of the show he'd forgotten about that. Gorgeous waved them off, promising they would wait until after they finished shopping. They detoured to the center of town, where the store in question awaited. Ness found himself struck with awe at the interior; it was _massive_ compared to Onett's drugstore. Escalators led between several floors, each lined with small shops for food, clothing, games, and more wares than he could ever have imagined.

As tempted as he was to splurge with his ATM card- he currently had over $2500 thanks to his father- Ness restrained himself to only buying a new weapon for himself. The store didn't offer any aluminum bats, but he picked the best wooden one he could find.

Paula emerged from a different part of the store holding a new black frying pan. He decided not to ask why she didn't pick a better weapon from the wide array of choices offered; seeing the content look on her face killed the question before he could speak up. Maybe she'd committed herself to pans, and she could always use her PSI anyway.

Ness also ordered a few burgers to go from the food court and stored them in his bag. They wouldn't stay warm for long, but Paula had offered to heat them up with PK Fire when the need arose. With new weapons and their food restocked, the pair returned to where the Runaway Five's bus was waiting.

"We're off!" announced the driver, who Ness realized was the sixth member from earlier. "Those ghosts oughta leave us alone if we've got our tunes blasting."

He wasn't sure he liked the odd style of music, but if it kept them safe he didn't care what they had on the radio. The bus sped forwards, speeding down the road past Burglin Park and the Polestar Preschool, past Apple Kid's workshop and the road to Peaceful Rest Valley. Ness hadn't spent much time in Twoson, but he wouldn't have minded getting to visit again one day after his adventure was over. Maybe Paula could show him around.

Speaking of her, she was looking out the window with a smile but traces of longing in her eyes. Ness raised his voice just enough for her to hear him over the music.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm fine. Just… heh, I didn't think I'd ever be leaving town for this long."

He scooted closer to her on the black leather seat.

"It was hard for me to leave home too… listen, if you really don't want to come, you-"

Paula shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I made my choice the second you rescued me that I'd come with you all the way. Besides, we're still together!"

She leaned against his shoulder with a content sigh.

"I'll have your back, okay?"

Ness felt his cheeks heating up but somehow avoided stammering like an idiot.

"Okay. And I'll have yours."

They didn't say another word and just enjoyed the moment… at least, until the bus lurched to a stop and forced them apart.

"Whoa! Hey sidewalk, get outta the way!" he heard the driver shout.

"You idiot, you're on the wrong side of the road!" the saxophonist of the band groaned. "Just go, the tunnel's right up here."

Once the driving mishap had been resolved, the bus passed into Two-Three Tunnel and all went dark save for the headlights. Ness's pulse began to race at the thought of its inhabitants approaching them. He'd encountered aliens and mutant bugs, but meeting ghosts firsthand was something he still dreaded.

 _"_ _Please let the music work, please let the music work, please let the music work, please-"_

"Ness! Are you okay?"

He blinked and looked around in a stupor. Paula had taken his hands into her own and was staring into his eyes.

"You were mumbling to yourself and breathing heavily. What's wrong?"

Crap. _Had_ he been doing that? His face heated up.

"Uh… s-sorry, I'm…"

"Ha ha!" chortled Gorgeous from the front. "Scared'a ghosts, kid? Don't worry about it, see for yourself! They can't touch us!"

Ness forced himself to look out the window and, sure enough, watched a group of spectral white figures attempt to grab the bus. Getting too close to the music caused them to groan and recoil, however, letting them proceed unhindered. His breathing began to steady, and the more he watched them the less frightening he found the ghosts. They looked like floating sheets with stubby arms poking out of the front. Their circular eyes were blood red, but the various expressions of shock they had prevented the color from being scary.

It could also have been because Paula was still holding his hands, but he decided not to think too hard about that.

 _"_ _Next stop… Threed!"_

 **End of Part Two**


	17. Threed, Zombie Central

**Author's Note:** Welcome back, readers! The story's passed 2000 views, thanks so much!

If it's not too much to ask, let me know what you think of this chapter after reading it! This is where I begin to branch out just a little more from the original story, and I'd like to know how I handled the change.

Away we go!

* * *

 **Part Three: Movin' Right Along**

Chapter 17: Threed, Zombie Central

The bus made it through the tunnel at last, unhindered by the pursuing ghosts. Ness looked out the closest window and saw that the sun had fully set over the horizon. Dark clouds snuffed out any remaining light as they approached their destination. It made him shiver, but not from the temperature. The sight gave him an increasing sense of dread.

"I don't like this…" Paula murmured by his side. "Why's it so dark? It's not _that_ late, is it?"

"I'll say," added Gorgeous at the front of the bus. "Somethin's fishy about this place… you kids sure you wanna get off here?"

Ness didn't, but his dream had told him to go to Threed next, and that was what he planned on doing.

"…yeah. We have to."

Threed was more of a small city than a town, its buildings reaching higher than those of Onett and Twoson. Perhaps due to the poor weather, no citizens were out on the streets, and traffic was nonexistent. The bus came to a stop near a hotel toward the northern outskirts of the city. To Ness's surprise, he could see an orange circus tent across the road.

"Guess this is goodbye for now," Lucky said, shaking his and Paula's hands. "Be safe, okay? This town looks pretty gloomy, but I'm sure you two can bring your own form of sunshine to it."

"Where are you going?" Ness asked.

Gorgeous stuck his head out the window as they got off the bus.

"We're off to Fourside, the next city over. If you ever head that way, look for the theater! We'll be playing there, so keep your eyes peeled for us."

They waved goodbye, and the Runaway Five sped off down the road. Ness looked around the empty streets, wondering where they were supposed to go from there.

"This… this feeling… can you sense it too?" Paula asked. "The air's thick with fear."

 _"_ _Hey!"_

The hushed whisper nearly made both of them jump out of their skin. A middle-aged man in a suit was beckoning at the pair from the hotel's door. His gaze traveled up and down the street like he were expecting someone else to be there with them.

"You kids shouldn't be out in the open! C'mon, get in here!" he urged.

They hurried in after him. Whatever he was trying to get them away from, it obviously spooked the man. He shut and locked the door behind them once they were inside.

"What is it?" Ness asked. "Why can't we stay outside?"

The man looked at him in bewilderment.

"You don't know? What rock have you been living under?"

"Actually, we're not from here," Paula chimed in. "We came through the tunnel from Twoson."

"So you managed to get past the ghosts… I hate to say it, kids, but you've trapped yourself in a zombie-infested city. For the last few days the sky's been dark, and corpses started to rise from the graveyard. Every day, more people fall to them…"

Ness swore his heart stopped. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't this. The ghosts in the tunnel may not have frightened him much, but this was a much different story.

"We'll… we'll just have to stop them!" said Paula. If she was as nervous as he was, she hid it _much_ better than he did. "This must be why we were led here, right Ness?"

The suited man gasped.

"You can't be serious! The two of you don't stand a chance, you won't last ten seconds out there!"

"We can take care of ourselves," she countered. "We've fought more dangerous things than zombies… I think. Either way, we don't have a choice. Do you know anything about how we can fight back against them, sir?"

Sighing, he pointed out the window to the circus tent.

"Over there's the Anti-Zombie Headquarters. If you really want to do something, you can ask them. I'm not a member, I just run this hotel."

The two marched out with words of thanks to him. Once they were back on the street, they were relieved to find that no zombies were lurking about. Keeping their weapons close regardless, they rushed over to the orange tent and stepped inside.

For all the color it displayed, the interior of the tent was rather bland. Only a single table stood in the center of it, surrounded by four adults chatting in various hushed tones. They all looked to the pair when they entered.

"Can we help you?" one black-haired man asked.

"We're, uh, here to fight the zombies!" Ness replied, knowing how absurd it sounded coming from two kids barely in their teenage years. The adults must have thought the same, as they gave each other confused and disheartened looks.

"I think you should just go home and be safe," the man replied. "They've taken over all of the northern half of the city, so you're better off staying inside."

"Also be sure not to talk to strangers!" cried a blonde lady standing next to him. "We don't even know if we can trust anyone else around here; I saw a girl _talking_ to the zombies! I couldn't overhear much of the conversation, but it sounded like she was giving them orders."

"Got it, we'll… go home now," said Paula. "Come on, Ness."

They stepped out, back into the unnaturally cold air, and returned to the road in the center of town.

"Okay, where should we start?" she asked once they were out of earshot of the tent.

"The man at the hotel said zombies were coming from the graveyard, right? Let's look there first."

Every fiber of his being was screaming not to run toward a gruesome death, but Ness fought back the urge to flee. They had to save the world, after all, even if it was one town at a time. Wary of the dangers lurking around, the two made their way to the cemetery in the north side of Threed. To stay inconspicuous, they only traveled using alleys and the cover of buildings.

Paula tugged on his sleeve after a few minutes of skulking forwards. Her face had gone pale, and she was staring with wide eyes at something down a different street.

"N-N-Ness…? Is that a zombie?"

He followed her gaze to what was _unquestionably_ a zombie, standing in the light of a street lamp. The shambling figure wore torn clothes that revealed its withered, gray skin to them. It had thin hair as white as a ghost which hung over its eyes, though even from that distance two distinct red glows could be seen on its face. The zombie took ragged breaths as it lurched its way down the street.

"I-I think I'm gonna be sick," Ness groaned.

"Shh! It'll hear us!"

 _"_ _Hey kids, what're we watchin'?"_

The strangled-sounding voice came from mere inches behind them, and they let out simultaneous frightened squawks as they scrambled away from it. Their surprise didn't end there; the speaker had been another zombie much like the one down the street. Ness didn't know how it'd managed to sneak up on them given its _rancid_ smell, but now that he was so close to it he couldn't ignore the stench.

 _"_ _Aww, c'mon… come back and play,"_ the zombie hissed from the alley, beckoning them with a gnarled finger.

Ness did the first thing that occurred to him: he grabbed Paula by the hand and sprinted away as fast as he could, half-dragging her until they wound up at the graveyard. He might have shrieked in fright if he was able to breathe at all.

"S… sorry about that…" he panted as they hid in a cluster of bushes.

"Don't worry, I would've run but I was too scared to move…" she replied, looking just as out of breath.

Once he was sure they hadn't been followed, Ness peeked out of the bush to have a look at their surroundings. They were right against the short brick wall surrounding the graveyard, which had a series of metal posts sticking out from the top of it. Through the bars he could see countless holes in the dirt, no doubt where the zombies had emerged from their graves. More of them were in the area, continuing their mindless shuffle around the headstones.

"Hm… I don't see anything that might be bringing them back to life," he said.

"Look! See those two behind the trees?" Paula whispered.

She was pointing at a pair of zombies standing away from the rest, on a path through the dense forest surrounding Threed. Something about their straighter, more alert posture indicated that the pair had a purpose in that spot. Ness squinted, trying to see what could be further up the path, but at their distance he wasn't able to make anything out.

"They're definitely guarding something," he mumbled to Paula. "Should we try to get closer?"

She didn't immediately answer, as her attention had shifted to something on the road south of the graveyard. Ness followed her gaze and found himself staring at a young woman nonchalantly strolling along the sidewalk. Despite the hostile environment she appeared content and happy, whistling to herself as she walked toward the hotel. She was older than both of them, in her early twenties by the looks of it, with blonde hair in a short ponytail. A pair of dark sunglasses covered her eyes- even though there was no sunlight- and she wore a tee shirt, shorts, and sandals, all the same shade of black.

Her monotonous outfit was clearly not what caught Paula's eye, however, as right at the woman's side was the zombie they'd just fled from. Instead of attacking her, it muttered something inaudible and walked away down a different street. Ness might have focused more on that if she hadn't been so pretty…

"Hey! _Hey!_ " his friend whispered, shaking a hand in front of his face. "Are you still awake?"

He sputtered and tried to look like he was paying attention.

"H-huh? Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Didn't you see the zombie with her?"

Ness scratched his head.

"Well, I did, but I was kind of busy staring- I mean, um…"

 _"_ _Boys!"_ she hissed. "I was gonna say we should find out who that is, but I guess you want to see her anyway!"

Now that his head was out of the clouds, he recalled a person in the tent saying there was someone in Threed who could talk to the zombies. If this was her, she could have been the key to stopping the undead invasion.

"You're right," he said, still looking in the woman's direction.

He felt Paula's gaze burning a hole through his skull.

"A-about having to find out more about her!" Ness stammered out in a desperate attempt to save himself from her wrath.

His clarification must have done the trick, as she got out from behind the bush to tail the suspicious woman. Even while he followed, though, he could hear her grumbling under her breath. His face heated up despite how cold it was outside.

They snuck along the backroads after her, managing to go unnoticed all the way back to the hotel. Once the woman disappeared through the door they gave each other a nod and approached in hot pursuit. Ness didn't know how Paula was planning to interrogate her, but he was still too intimidated to ask.

The hotel's interior was empty, lacking even the manager they'd spoken to earlier. Ness saw their target pause down the hall and enter a room. Fortunately for them, he didn't hear the door lock behind her.

"Let's get her," Paula said in a dark tone.

They tiptoed across the carpeted floor until they reached the room she'd entered. Ness kept his bat close to his side and was about to ask what their plan was, only for Paula to give up any sense of stealth and throw the door open. For the split second before she barged in he could see a glare on her face. Wondering if he should stay back, he followed her in to confront the woman.

"Okay you floozy," Paula almost shouted, "tell us what-"

The door slammed shut behind them, and they found themselves in a dim room with her. She was smiling at the pair from behind her sunglasses, not saying a word. A soft groan came from their right, and Ness whirled around just in time to see a rotting hand strike the side of Paula's head. She collapsed to the floor, leaving him to contend with the zombie.

 _"_ _We walked right into a trap!"_ he realized, sidestepping its next attack.

Ness felt something hit him from behind before he had a chance to fight back and stumbled into the zombie's outstretched fist. In a daze he fell beside Paula, landing hard on the carpet.

"I guess you zombies are good for something after all," the woman said, smirking down at him. "Take them to the cell under the graveyard, I'll go report our catch."

Her pair of zombie cohorts both grinned and reached to pick him up as the world went black before his eyes.

* * *

The first thing that came to mind was how dark it was. Ness stared into the lightless void before him and wondered if this was another psychic dream. The second thing that came to mind disproved that notion: his head was _killing_ him. It turned out that he wasn't asleep, just in an unlit, stuffy room.

A cave, to be more precise. He was sprawled on his back against a rocky floor which did little to help his discomfort. The only visible exit was a tunnel on the wall to his left, blocked by a door made of metal bars. Paula lay nearby, face-down in the center of the cramped room. Ness recalled how they'd gotten there and rushed to her side, ignoring the pounding headache.

"Paula, wake up…"

She stirred and clutched her stomach, giving a pained moan. Her face was pale, most likely from how dazed the ambush left her. Ness pointed a finger at her and tried a technique he hadn't gotten to use yet.

"PSI Healing: Alpha."

The color returned to her cheeks and she opened her eyes. He backed away to give her some space as she sat up.

"Ohhh… what happened?"

"We were attacked by zombies when we followed that lady," he answered. "They knocked you out first… now we're trapped in this cave. I heard her say to take us under the graveyard."

She looked down at her lap and sniffed.

"I'm… I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so impulsive, maybe…"

Ness put a hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's okay. You were annoyed because I got distracted, right? I should've been paying more attention. Even if she was cute, she smelled _really_ bad from hanging out with the zombies."

Paula gave him a weak, teary smile.

"…heh. Thanks…"

He noticed their bags and weapons sitting on the ground nearby. Those zombies must not have been bright if they left their equipment with them. Ness grabbed his bat and approached the cell door.

"Here goes nothing!"

Nothing indeed; his swing rebounded off the metal bars and sent a tremble up his arms. He tried again, but the door remained solid no matter how hard he struck it.

"Shoot. I don't know if we should risk PSI either… it could bring the ceiling down on us."

"I'm… I'm calling out to you," Paula muttered behind him.

Ness turned to see her kneeling in the middle of the room, her eyes closed and her hands clasped together.

"I'm calling out to you, a friend I've never met. My name is Paula… can you hear me? I'm with Ness, another friend. We're trapped in Threed, Eagleland… please, if you can hear me, head southwest and find us. You should be able to follow a psychic trail to me. We need your help!"

"What was that?" he asked once she opened her eyes.

"I sent a message to someone in his sleep, like I did with you. I'm sure he could hear me… um, I didn't get his name. I think he lives far away, in Winters."

"Winters?" Ness sputtered. "That's- that's on a different _continent!_ How will he get here? Does he have PSI like us?"

She recoiled from his brief outburst, and he felt a pang of guilt for startling her.

"S… sorry, I shouldn't have yelled…"

Paula sighed.

"It's okay. To be honest, I don't know how or why I reached him of all people… I was just guided to him. I'm not sure if he has the same abilities as us, either. If he did he would've responded."

He sat down next to her again.

"I trust you. If you think he's the right person, then so do I. We'll just have to wait for him."

A few minutes passed in silence before there was a loud clunking noise beyond the bars. Footsteps could be heard approaching their cell, and the tunnel was illuminated by the glow of a lantern. It was held by the same woman who'd lured them in, smirking like she had before.

"All right, let me see…" came a familiar voice behind her.

Ness felt Paula stiffen beside him as a man around the same age as their kidnapper stepped into view. His snow-white hair, round glasses, and black suit were exactly the same as the last time both of them had seen him. Mr. Megane had a smug look on his face as he examined them from outside the bars.

"Yeah, these are definitely the ones. Paula, pride of Twoson… and Ness, who destroyed the Happy Happyists. Good work."

He chuckled at the two, folding his hands behind his back.

"To think Master's adversaries are just children…"

The woman opened her mouth like she was about to say something, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"I know, I know, it's not _that_ hard to believe," Megane cut her off. "Still, who'd have imagined a great conqueror's worst enemies aren't even adults? He must be cursed."

Ness shifted himself in front of Paula, scowling at the pair. He didn't know what they had in mind, but he wasn't going to let her be hurt again.

"Oh? Aren't you a little rebel?" the white-haired man taunted. "Don't worry, we aren't here to harm either of you. _Yet_. We have to check with our superior first. Just in case, you know? He could be planning other things for you. If so… heh heh heh. Don't get too confident, okay?"

Paula was trembling behind him, and even Ness felt himself begin to shake. Suddenly, however the woman groaned and clutched her forehead.

"No! You have to fight it!" Megane urged, a look of concern on his face.

"T… trying…" his cohort muttered in a very low voice.

To Ness's surprise, she was reaching for the door with a key in her hand. Just as she was on the verge of unlocking their cell, her fingers pulsed with a red-hot glow and she dropped it. The key had warped due to the heat, laying in a heap of twisted metal on the tunnel's floor.

"That was close," Megane exhaled. He'd put his hand into his pocket as if to get something to stop her from unlocking the door, but relaxed once she'd gotten over her migraine. "Let's go before anything else happens. We'll be back for these two soon enough."

She nodded and turned to leave with him. Ness saw red eyes behind her sunglasses for a fraction of a second; the same eyes Megane had. The sinister pair walked off with the lamp, leaving them in the dark once more. Both he and Paula had gone still, paralyzed with fear and confusion.

 _"_ _I don't know who heard the call for help… but if he doesn't get here soon, we might not be here for him to rescue us."_


	18. In Winters, There is a Genius

Chapter 18: In Winters, There is a Genius

Paula's cry traveled across the world, from Threed in Eagleland over the wide ocean to the east. Her telepathic call made its way to the continent of Foggyland, and from there it finally reached the northernmost region of it: a small country named Winters. More specifically, it reached the Snow Wood Boarding School, and one particular boy asleep in his dormitory.

 _"…_ _if you can hear me, head southwest and find us. You should be able to follow a psychic trail to me. We need your help!"_

The voice was unfamiliar, but so clear that he swore it was from someone in the room with him. He pulled his face up from the pillow and fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand before pausing. When had he gotten into bed?

"Oh Jeff, did I wake you up?"

His roommate was on his bed flipping through a magazine.

"No, it's fine," he replied. "Did I sleepwalk here?"

Tony's cheeks reddened, and he gave an awkward laugh.

"Uh… well, no. You fell asleep in the chair by your rocket, and I carried you to your bed. I hope you don't mind."

Brushing some of his blond bowl cut out of his face, Jeff slid his glasses on and looked to the corner of their room. Sitting on his tool-cluttered desk was the product of many hours of work, a bottle rocket. A big one at that, and the first he'd ever made by himself. He must have passed out while putting the finishing touches on it. It wasn't the first time that had happened; he never slept in normal intervals.

His attention returned to the dream- or had it been a dream? Despite his erratic sleep schedule, night terrors and sleep paralysis had never bothered him before. And the girl's voice sounded so _real_. She'd mentioned following a psychic trail… while Jeff didn't know what that was supposed to be, he could nonetheless feel something very faint in his mind, telling him "go to Threed." It wasn't like he had much else to do, since there were no classes for the next two days.

 _"_ _What the heck. I'll go meet this Paula."_

Jeff got out of bed to prepare for the journey. Traveling across an ocean to a different continent would have seemed impossible for most boys stuck in boarding school, but not for him. He knew that just a few miles to the south sat a laboratory run by the great Dr. William Andonuts… his father. But he didn't like to think about the man very much. Even so, if anyone had a way to reach Eagleland quickly it was him.

"Where're you going?" Tony asked as he began to pack a bag.

"I'm leaving. I have to go to Eagleland as soon as possible, someone might need my help."

"You know the dorm rules, we can't leave in the middle of the night."

Jeff would have rolled his eyes if his roommate wasn't so good-natured. He'd announced his plan to leave the country and _that_ was his only concern? Of course, perhaps it was better for him not to ask too many questions.

"I know, but this could be important. I can't really explain, I just need to go there."

He changed into the only suitable outfit he owned: his school's uniform of a professional green jacket with matching dress pants, a white undershirt, and a black bow tie. Packing several identical sets of clothes into a duffel bag and sliding into his brown snow boots, he was almost ready to go. Behind him, Tony was putting on a pair of fuzzy slippers.

"I'm not sure what's going on," he said, "but if you have to leave I'll help you get out. Hey, Maxwell might also have something useful downstairs!"

"Is he still awake?"

"Probably. It's only eleven."

Jeff rubbed his eyes. Only eleven? How early _had_ he fallen asleep? He shook off the thought and stuffed the bottle rocket into his bag with the clothes. If he really was about to save Paula and Ness from their kidnappers, having a weapon would come in handy.

"Right… well, let's go see him."

They exited the dorm into their floor's common room. Other boys were still there, gathered around the fireplace and talking about Tessie, the local urban legend. Lake Tess wasn't far south, with explorers coming from all around to try and catch a glimpse of the reported sea monster. Jeff personally didn't buy it, but that wasn't the time to consider tall tales of fiction. He had a mission to carry out.

Tony ran ahead of him, his brown curls bouncing with each step down the stairs. He followed behind his roommate to the first floor of their building, which contained the locker room and student workshop. Sure enough, the latter's lights were still on. He entered and was greeted by Maxwell Labs, teaching assistant of their engineering class.

"Nice night for a walk, Jeff and Tony?" the older student asked. His habit of staying up so late left seemingly permanent bags under his eyes, in sharp contrast to his wavy red hair. "I see you've got your bag. What's up?"

Tony replied first in his normal tone-deaf manner.

"Jeff's going to Eagleland for something important, though he didn't give me a lot of details. Cool, right?"

He would've slapped his own forehead at the suspicious phrasing of that if Maxwell didn't accept it at face value a moment later.

"Whatever you say, I'm sure you know what you're doing. It's in your blood, after all! That reminds me, are you going to see your dad on the way out?"

His jaw tightened, but he nodded.

"Great! Make sure you tell him that the USC's working on a replica of his Instant Revitalizing Machine!"

"I will," he lied.

Dr. Andonuts had been one of the top students at Snow Wood and founded the school's Ultra Science Club, which Maxwell now led, in his time there. According to Jeff's peers he followed in his father's intellectual footsteps, but most of the time he was merely barraged by comments about how fantastic the good doctor was- not that he'd ever really known him.

"Do you have anything that can handle locks? I need to get some stuff out of my locker, but the door's faulty."

Maxwell handed him and Tony a small gray box with a pointed tip and single red button.

"As a matter of fact, I have just the thing! This is the 'Machine that Opens Doors, Especially When You Have a Slightly Bad Key or the Doors Won't Work!' I call it the Bad Key Machine for short. Just stick the point into a lock and push the button!"

It sounded like a useful, if oddly specific, device. Moreover, Jeff realized it could also help rescue Paula and Ness… had she mentioned a lock? He didn't remember. A question struck him before he exited the room.

"Hey, has there been any news from Mr. Megane?"

Maxwell frowned.

"No… he's still missing. All this time I thought he would've at least told you where he was going."

Jeff nodded and brought the Bad Key Machine to the locker room, a weight settling on his chest. Their engineering teacher was his closest friend at the school, along with Tony. Mr. Megane could have been mistaken for an older student given he was barely in his twenties, by far the youngest staff member in Snow Wood's history yet still respected for his astounding technical know-how. He'd vanished without a trace around a week earlier, and since then nobody had heard back from him.

Tony must have noticed the troubled expression he wore, because he was suddenly in front of him with a huge grin.

"Don't worry! I'm sure he's doing just fine… he's super smart, right? Just like you!"

Jeff cracked a smile as well. For as chatty as his roommate was, he never failed to provide moral support.

"Heh, thank you. I've got to get past the gate, but it's probably locked by now…" he commented as he approached his locker to retrieve an important tool. "Maybe I can use Maxwell's device to-"

He was cut off by the effect the Bad Key Machine actually had. When he stuck the pointed tip into the lock and pushed the button, the gadget emitted a tiny explosion from the functional end and destroyed the lock altogether with a loud bang. Tony yelped and took a few steps back.

"I, uh, don't think you should use that on the gate... someone will hear. Oh no, what if someone heard you right _now?_ We have to get you out of here quickly!"

Jeff nodded and grabbed the item inside his locker: a homemade pellet gun. He stowed it in his bag with the Bad Key Machine as he followed Tony outside.

By all accounts it was a warm night for Winters in that the temperature had only reached "freezing" instead of "so cold your toes instantly become ice cubes" as the student paper once put it. To Jeff's luck, it wasn't snowing out, and the sky was devoid of clouds. For a moment his path in life seemed totally obvious to him, lit by the moon and beckoning him toward a grand adventure.

Of course, that was ridiculous. He had no idea if Paula and Ness were even real people. For all he knew he would arrive in Eagleland to discover the whole thing had just been a dream. Still, with no other plans for the next two days he had already decided to just get out and explore. Weekends at Snow Wood were dull anyway, so the consequences were worth it in his mind.

Tony approached the large brick wall surrounding the school's perimeter, tapping his chin. Jeff could see the wheels turning in his head and knew he'd come up with something. He ran a finger along the metal gate blocking their exit.

"You can't open this, and you also can't dig under it… you'll just have to climb over the wall!"

Before he could ask for further clarification, Tony got on all fours beside it and looked to Jeff.

"Come on, I'll give you a boost."

He wasn't about to make his friend support his weight _and_ his bag's, so he threw it over the gate first. Once he was certain that the bottle rocket didn't detonate upon impact (an impossibility without a manual trigger, but one could never be too sure), Jeff carefully stepped onto Tony's back and pulled himself onto the top of the brick wall. He hopped down to the other side, landing in a pile of snow which had been shoveled away from the main path.

 _"_ _Ugh, I think some of it got in my boots…"_

That would be annoying him for a while, but at least he hadn't broken anything in the jump. He brushed snow out of his hair and clothes as he picked up his bag. Tony was looking at him from the other side of the gate.

"Well… guess this is goodbye, huh?" his roommate said, a sad look on his face.

"Cheer up, I'll be back," Jeff replied. "If anyone asks where I went, could you keep it a secret?"

"Yeah! I-I'll do that… and I'll be praying for you the whole time! We're best friends, right?"

He fought the urge to laugh at how dramatic he was being.

"You make it sound like I won't be back for weeks. Come on, get inside before someone notices you. Take care!"

Tony nodded and ran back into the dorm building with one last wave. Somewhere in his mind, Jeff wondered if he really wouldn't return for a while like he'd said. Was there some merit to the claim, given the bizarre force calling him to action? Maybe. If Paula and Ness did turn out to be real, he had no idea what would happen after he saved them.

Bringing his attention back to the present, Jeff breathed deep and took his first steps down the path away from Snow Wood.


	19. Out of the Ordinary

Chapter 19: Out of the Ordinary

Jeff's first stop on the path was a drugstore not far from Snow Wood's gate. Lucky for him it was still open, as he hadn't brought food for the journey. While he lacked an ATM card and barely had any money, he decided to stop in anyway- if nothing else, he could escape from the cold for a few minutes.

Seeing as it was nearly closing time, nobody else was in the store save for the clerk. Rather than standing behind the register, however, the red-haired man was chasing a monkey around the aisles as it scrambled across shelves and walls.

Wait, did he see that right?

Nope, it was definitely there. A brown monkey with a long tail and a spiked tuft of fur on its head pranced through the drugstore before his very eyes. This really was happening, despite the common knowledge that monkeys didn't even live in Winters.

"H-hey, kid!" the clerk barked, still trying to grab the intruder by its tail, "help me get this thing outta here!"

Jeff considered quietly leaving and trying to forget he ever saw that, but something about just how absurd the situation was convinced him otherwise. He noticed the monkey had grabbed onto a pack of bubble gum and was clutching it with particular determination.

"I'll… pay for the gum it's holding," he said, not entirely aware of what he was doing or why. Whatever, he only had two dollars and couldn't afford much else regardless.

All of a sudden, the monkey sprang for him and shoved the pack into his hand, sitting on the floor with a huge smile. Had it… understood him? That couldn't be right.

Just as confused as he was, the clerk shuffled behind the register and took his payment. Jeff didn't want to risk further irritating the man, so he handed the gum to the monkey and watched it scamper out the door. Intrigued, he gave chase.

"Eeee! Eeee!"

The chimp- animals weren't his expertise, but he was pretty sure it was a chimp- tore open the pack and stuffed some gum into its mouth. After a few moments of chewing, it blew a bubble larger than Jeff's entire head. He didn't know what amazed him more, the fact that a monkey knew how gum worked, or that it was _being lifted into the air by the bubble._ Did it exhale helium?!

After a few moments it lowered to the ground and slurped the bubble back into its mouth. The monkey gave him a funny look and fell into step beside Jeff. As he tried to move away down the path again, it continued to follow him.

 _"_ _Well… I guess there are worse things than having a monkey sidekick."_

With his bubble-blowing companion close behind, he made his way down the path through the woods. Around an hour passed by with no sound but the crunching of their footsteps and the occasional caw of a crow in the trees. Jeff wasn't afraid of the dark, naturally; a brilliant scientific mind like him didn't believe in monsters, or any other fairy tale nonsense.

His mindset was challenged when he realized that the mental pull supposedly guiding him to Eagleland was, in fact, getting stronger. He couldn't just write it off as nothing this time, because it had escalated to nearly a tug on his head. By then he was beginning to believe that Paula really did exist, and that she and Ness were counting on him. How any of it made sense was still a mystery, but never before had he gotten to be a hero! He wouldn't waste this chance.

"Eeek!"

The monkey darted ahead as they came to where the woods ended at Lake Tess's bank. Tents were pitched along his side of it, with members of the Tessie-Watching Club scattered on the shore. All of them, dressed in matching beige outdoors gear, peered intently through binoculars at the still water as if they could will their mythical beast to emerge.

"Heeey!" one man called to Jeff. "You here to join, kid?"

"Actually, I'm trying to get further south. Where's the fastest way around the lake?"

He scratched his head.

"Any way you want to go will take hours unless you can travel across it. There isn't a path, either, and the gruff goats are probably wandering the forest by now. Why not take a rest in our tent and get started in the morning?"

It was nearly midnight by then, and he _was_ beginning to feel tired. Jeff nodded, letting the man escort him and the monkey to a tent on the northwestern border of the lake. He was asleep before he knew it.

 _"…_ _please… we don't have much time… if you're there, come and save us…"_

Paula's voice called to him again, but he couldn't find a way to speak back to her. The most he could do was listen as she begged for help.

 _"_ _Mr. Megane and that woman could come back soon, and when they do they might try to kill us…"_

Megane? There was no way she meant the same person, his teacher would never kill anyone. He was the nicest man Jeff knew, almost like an older brother figure for him. Dr. Andonuts had left him at Snow Wood around ten years earlier, and since then his father may as well not have existed for Jeff. Mr. Megane, though… he was different. He'd arrived not even two years ago and was already Jeff's biggest role model. In fact, he'd been the one to introduce him to bottle rockets and the construction thereof.

He snapped awake halfway through his thoughts. The wind was blowing hard against the tent in the early morning, and his monkey was gone. Jeff picked up his bag, setting out to find a path around the lake. Maybe it would take hours, but he didn't have much of a choice… or so it seemed.

The Tessie-Watching Club members were gathered around one spot of the bank and frantically pointing out something to each other. Getting closer, he saw that dozens of large bubbles were rising to the lake's surface, and the source was traveling against the wind underneath. A massive shape was working its way toward the shore, where the monkey stood chewing more gum.

"Eeeeek! EEEEEEEK!"

Jeff couldn't tell if the screech had come from the monkey or one of the startled Tessie-Watchers as the shadow beneath the lake approached. Finally, the water's surface broke and something slim and purple emerged.

"NO WAY! THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!" screamed the club members, still looking at Tessie through their binoculars even though she was barely twenty yards away.

His skepticism of urban legends and magic began to slip away as Jeff looked upon the head of Tessie. She was like a dinosaur, her scaly purple neck reaching a good ten feet into the air. Her head, round in shape and the same color as the rest of her, craned to look at the people below. The beast had an expression somewhere between "bemused" and "dopey" until her beady black eyes landed on the monkey, still resolutely chewing his- Jeff couldn't tell for sure, but he figured it was male- bubble gum.

"Mmmmmmm…"

The deep grumbling sound Tessie emitted shook the very air around her, and she lowered her neck toward him. As if he could understand what she wanted, the monkey blew another physics-defying bubble and floated onto her head. Jeff's greatest surprise during the half majestic, half insane ordeal was when Tessie's humped back emerged from the water, and the monkey began pointing at it while looking directly at him.

 _"_ _No way… do they want me to ride too?!"_

As if in the presence of a god, the Tessie-Watching Club turned to face him with mixed expressions of awe. Feeling their expectant stares as he walked past, Jeff approached the beast at the shore and climbed onto her back.

"Uh… h-hello, Tessie… please don't eat me?"

Whether or not she understood, she didn't eat him as requested. The monkey squealed again and pointed across the lake, after which- to his amazement- she began paddling her flippers through the water. They really _could_ communicate! If he hadn't been struck dumb at how ridiculous this all was, he'd have been fascinated by the chance to study both creatures.

A few minutes of quiet swimming later, Tessie arrived at the opposite shore. Jeff stepped off, careful not to be too rough on her back, and watched the monkey float down on another bubble. They both waved to her as she sank below the surface of the lake, out of sight but definitely not out of mind.

"Well… that was pretty fun. I'm sure Tony would've enjoyed it."

"Ook! Ook!"

Having gotten past the lake with no trouble, their next obstacle came in the form of a giant iron statue, shaped like a pencil. It jutted straight out of the snow, blocking their path around a narrow cliff face on the lake shore. While its presence may have been strange, the more interesting part was that it was familiar to Jeff. He'd seen a model just like it in Mr. Megane's classroom several weeks prior. The example had been barely one tenth the size of the statue, but otherwise they looked identical. What was this doing out here?

He decided he would solve that mystery another time, after his rescue mission was complete. Jeff's attention landed on the entrance to a cave beside the pencil statue. There was a wooden sign posted near the mouth of the tunnel.

 _"_ _Brick Road's Maze. Adventurers, right this way!"_

Adventurers, huh? He _was_ on an adventure of his own, and it wasn't as if he had many other options to proceed. Curiosity piqued, he beckoned for the monkey to follow him and stepped into the cave.

"…hm…"

Jeff wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Portable lamps were strewn all about the wide-open cavern, illuminating a maze of short stones on the floor. Several gift boxes appeared to be tucked away in corners of the "labyrinth," like treasures for anyone willing to seek them out. Naturally, the stones were short enough to just step over without any issue.

He didn't do that.

Leading the monkey along behind him, he traversed the maze in its entirety, picking up various treats and scraps of money from the gift boxes along the way. It soon became clear what this place was; not just a simple maze but an attempt at recreating a dungeon, like a video game might contain. Jeff, always a fan of puzzles, took the long way through the cave despite his mission. "Brick Road" had taken valuable time to set up this challenge, he just couldn't skip over it! There were even enemies for him to overcome, though they consisted solely of a wild crow, a disturbed-looking duck that barely paid any attention to him, and- hiding in one of the gift boxes- a purple blob creature. None of them presented any sort of difficulty save for the crow, which at one point tried to steal his pop gun before he could scare it off. The duck and blob were easily ignored.

Their presence did trouble him to some degree, however. Rumors of the local animals going wild had begun to spread lately, and Jeff was starting to believe more and more of the stories told by his peers in Snow Wood. Monkeys that could blow bubbles, giant sea creatures, metallic pencil statues, psychic calls, and insane local animals… what a strange world this was. No doubt the strangest thing of all was the black-suited man suddenly dropping from the cave's ceiling and landing just a few yards in front of Jeff.

"There's our savior!" he boomed, stroking his golden beard and straightening his top hat. "With the two PSI utilizers trapped, only a young prodigy of engineering can come to their rescue… yes, the perfect summary! Now then, pictures taken instantaneously!"

"W-w-w-who are you?" Jeff stammered out once he could feel his heart resume beating.

"A photographic genius, young man! And the one keeping a visual record of the chosen heroes on their quest! Say 'fuzzy pickles,' kiddo!"

PSI? Heroes? Quest? Pickles? None of what this man was saying made any sense! Jeff didn't even have a chance to ask for clarification, as a blinding flash hit his eyes less than a second later. Rubbing his vision back, he watched the photographer stow away a camera into his jacket.

"Hm… you'll have to be more on the ball next time! See you then for more fond memories!"

The unexpected guest rocketed back into the air, leaving a perplexed (not to mention terrified) Jeff and monkey behind. They shared mutual looks of disbelief and made a nonverbal vow to never speak of it again as they kept moving.

He made it to the end of the maze after a few more minutes. Greeting him at the far exit was a bald, middle-aged man with a very thin mustache and clothes so caked with dirt he couldn't guess what color they originally were.

"Oh, you've passed the dungeon! I'm Brick Road, the creator," he said with a smile. "What did you think of it?"

Jeff tapped his chin. Encounter with the imposing photographer aside, it had been an enjoyable distraction for the moment.

"Good start, but it needs something more… it could do with a more fortress-like setup!"

"An ancient temple?" Brick Road asked, an excited edge to his voice.

"No, no, what you need is a _modern_ dungeon! The perfect combination of natural obstacles and man-made tunnels. What's more, it should be grand! Catching the attention of all who behold it, dazzling them with the power of human ingenuity!" Jeff declared, already envisioning such a marvelous feat.

"Yes… yes, I can see it!" the man said. "And what's more, it will be the greatest evolution in the history of the world! No mere dungeon… but a fusion of dungeon and human! It shall be called Dungeon Man! I wonder if the great Dr. Andonuts can help me realize this dream."

Jeff's focus was brought back to his current task at the mention of his father.

"Maybe. I think his lab is a bit to the southwest of here, so you should find him sometime."

"Will do! Be sure to come find me when I've become Dungeon Man!" Brick Road yelled over his shoulder as he ran into the cave, presumably to begin planning.

Jeff grinned at the idea as well. He wondered if Dr. Andonuts really was capable of fusing a person with a dungeon… only one way to find out. The time had come to meet his father again after so long.


	20. Donuts and Doctor

Chapter 20: Donuts and Doctor

The monkey had scampered ahead of Jeff, so he jogged through the snow to catch up. He found his companion in front of another tunnel leading through the plateau. Wishing he'd brought a flashlight, Jeff walked in and began fumbling his way through the dark. It was a bit warmer in there, which several small animals appeared to be taking advantage of. He heard a few mice scurrying around, and some even tried to force him away from their territory. While he couldn't see well, his monkey fared much better, fending off the attackers as they came.

After only a few minutes of walking, they came to the end of the tunnel. Light shone in from an exit above them, but their progress was halted by a wall far too steep for Jeff to climb. He could see a rope coiled around a stake at the top. It looked long enough for him, if only he were able to reach it.

"Keee!"

The monkey dug another piece of gum out of the pack and chewed on it, floating to the top of the wall. Jeff couldn't resist a grin as he threw the rope down to him.

"Thanks, little guy! You're a big help."

Hauling his bag up the rope with him was still a trial in itself, but he eventually managed to pull himself to the top. The light from the tunnel's exit shone just ahead, but his eyes were quickly drawn to something else.

An entrance to a different section of the cavern lay in the darkness, and while Jeff still had a job to do, there was some mystical air about the otherwise unremarkable spot. He couldn't explain it, but he wanted to investigate further before exiting the cave. Temporarily leaving his monkey, he walked over to the darkened hole in the wall.

 _"_ _Well, here you are…"_

Jeff's hands flew to the pop gun in his pocket. The deep voice had rumbled from somewhere in the cave, though he couldn't identify the source. Apprehensive but not scared off, he took another step forward.

 _"_ _This is another of your Sanctuaries… but it's mine now. Come, little human, and take it from me if you d- wait a second…"_

Suddenly the voice's tone shifted from dark and menacing to nasal and almost condescending.

 _"_ _You're not Ness! You shouldn't be here without him. Scram, four-eyes!"_

Some invisible wall was blocking his entrance to that part of the cave, and he couldn't think of a way around it or whatever the voice had come from. It mentioned Ness… was it the same person Paula was trapped with? He would have to tell him about this spot; it must have been important somehow.

Returning to the exit, Jeff stepped out into the sunlight with his monkey. He couldn't tell if he was surprised or not to see a second one near them, evidently a female due to the bow in her fur.

"Eeeee…"

His monkey was staring at her with hearts in his eyes. The two locked gazes, approached one another, and proceeded to scamper off into the trees without so much as a wave back to him. Had he just witnessed a monkey wedding? It greatly concerned him that such a thing wasn't even his oddest experience that day.

Now alone, he trudged further on until he reached one of the most famous landmarks in Winters: Stonehenge. The ring of snow-topped rectangular blocks inspired a great sense of wonder in him as he imagined what sort of culture surrounded them. What other relics of the past could be found in that area, just waiting to be explored and studied? Had Mr. Megane come out here after his disappearance?

He got an answer to the first question, and indeed found more than just relics of the past. Jeff had heard stories of the legendary Cave Boys, but this was the first time he'd ever laid eyes on them while they ambled lazily around Stonehenge.

It was also the _last_ time he wanted to lay eyes on them. The hulking, overly muscular sub-humans didn't take kindly to visitors, judging by their impulsive grunts and snarls at him. Jeff must not have left their territory soon enough, because one even charged at him with a wooden club in his hand.

"W-whoa!"

For all his muscle, the Cave Boy didn't appear very intelligent. Sidestepping the charge, Jeff fired the pop gun into his face over and over. Wooden pellets didn't normally make for potent ammunition, which is why he'd replaced them with metal balls. Was it against school rules? Absolutely. Did he regret that decision? Absolutely not. It wasn't like he was still in Snow Wood anyway.

The Cave Boy's skin was thicker than it looked, and he didn't seem to register any pain from the attacks. On the contrary, he almost looked angrier now. A mighty swing of his club launched Jeff through the air, and he crashed onto the ground several yards away. Realizing he was outmatched, he scrambled to his feet and fled.

Fortunately for Jeff, there wasn't much left of the path south. A white, hexagonal building sat in a clearing of the forest. On its front, a sign reading "Lab" in bold letters left no uncertainty as to what it was. He walked through the wide-open door and came to a room he felt right at home in.

The lab had a blue tiled floor hidden beneath countless filing cabinets, work tables, and all kinds of inventions. Messy blackboards were hung up along the walls, each displaying equations or scientific theories to be tested. Despite the door being open, there was a pleasant warmth in the room which was very much welcome after the long walk through the cold.

Only one other person was inside, working at one of the desks. He was a balding, white-haired man with a mustache and a neat lab coat. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of round-rimmed glasses with black lenses. In one hand he held a piece of chalk, in the other a half-eaten donut.

"E-excuse me?"

The man looked in his direction with a blank expression.

"Oh, good morning. Can I help you? My name is Dr. William Andonuts."

Jeff folded his hands behind his back and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Uh… h-hi… it's me, Jeff. Your son?"

He peered at him for a moment before seeming to finally remember.

"Ah! That's right! Goodness, it's been such a long time… um… those glasses look good. You've grown into a fine young man. Would you like a donut?"

If his father was finding this as surreal as he was, the man didn't show it. Jeff wordlessly accepted the chocolate glazed pastry and followed Dr. Andonuts through his lab.

"So, my boy! What brings you so far from Snow Wood? Did the school explode? It exploded, didn't it?"

"Wha- no, nothing like that! I, uh, snuck out. Last night, a girl named Paula called to me in my dream. She said I needed to save her in Eagleland, specifically Threed."

His father wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Oh-ho, a damsel in distress? Most interesting!"

Jeff blinked, unsure if his admittedly far-fetched tale was being taken seriously.

"She's not alone, apparently a friend of hers- Ness, his name was- is also there. I came to you because I figured you might have a way of getting to them. According to Paula, their lives are at stake."

"Really? Well then, we'd best get you over there as soon as possible! And fortunately for you, I have just the contraption to do so! I call it the Sky Runner."

Dr. Andonuts led him to a corner of the lab, where Jeff felt his jaw thud to the floor at the sight of what could only be described as a flying saucer. It had a spherical middle with a ring not unlike Saturn's connected around it, an antennae protruding from the top, and three "feet" to stabilize it on the ground. The whole machine gleamed with a silver shine, and he swore his mouth was watering.

"You seem excited," his father chuckled. "I see you share my passion for technology! Go on, climb in and acquaint yourself!"

Nodding like an idiot, he clambered in through the Sky Runner's hatch. He found the ship's controls to be rather straightforward; "ascend," "descent," "accelerate," "decelerate," and various directional inputs. Jeff coordinated its navigation to direct him to Threed, though he could still feel the psychic pull on his mind.

"Comfy in there?" asked Dr. Andonuts. "If you're ready to go, feel free to take off. It's a shame we didn't have a chance to catch up more after so long, but I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. Please, come back any time!"

He gave a thumbs-up out one of the Sky Runner's spherical windows.

"Thanks… Dad. I'll hold you to that."

In all honesty he'd been expecting his father to be more distant. While their reunion was in no way close or tearful, things had gone better than Jeff assumed they would. He'd be sure to drop by for another visit after Paula and Ness were saved; the possible scientific theories they could discuss were endless. Moreover, there were so many questions he hadn't asked… but there was no time for that.

Jeff tapped a few keys on the Sky Runner's control pad and felt it rumble around him, lifting off through a hatch in the roof. The lab and Winters swiftly disappeared under a low-hanging layer of clouds. Having never been so high in the air before, it took him a moment to adjust, but he managed to avoid vomiting until the craft finally came to a stop at the right altitude. A few button pushes later, it soared off to the west and to Eagleland.

Seeing as the Sky Runner flew mostly without any need for input from him, Jeff leaned back in the pilot's seat and put his feet up. He reflected on the chaotic night and day that had brought him there, from a disturbance in his sleep to riding a dinosaur with a bubble-blowing monkey to meeting his father. Even though it had been less than a day, he didn't think he would ever get over how bizarre his life had just become. The idea of returning to life as usual in Snow Wood Boarding School was incomprehensible to him.

Unless…

At some point during the nine-hour flight, he decided he didn't want to just go back quite yet. Paula's cry for help gave him the impression that she and Ness were up to something important. He could feel the tug growing stronger by the minute, to the point where he swore he knew exactly where to find them both. What Jeff _really_ wanted was not just to find them but to lend his assistance if possible. Going on an adventure with total strangers may have sounded crazy to most boys, but- as has been established- he was no ordinary boy. An intellectual such as him deserved to go on a grand quest!

No sooner had he thought that than a terrible reality made his stomach twist into a knot: Jeff was _awful_ at meeting new people. Having very few opportunities to leave Snow Wood in the past, he'd never had much of a chance to develop his social skills- especially given that Tony would do most of the talking for him whenever they went anywhere together. How was he going to do this without making a total fool of himself? He needed time to plan how he would greet his- he hoped- new friends.

Unfortunately, he didn't get any. The Sky Runner had arrived at their location by then. Jeff could feel the psychic pull right below him and panicked from the stress, slamming the "descend" button as hard as he could. His aircraft dropped straight out of the sky and smashed into the ground, tunneling through several feet of dirt before coming to a violent, smoky stop.

 _"_ _Destination has been reached! Welcome to Threed, Eagleland!"_


	21. Breakout!

Chapter 21: Breakout!

 _Exactly two minutes beforehand…_

"Woohoo! I win again!"

With nothing better to do while they waited for their rescuer to arrive, Ness had challenged Paula to whatever games were available for them over the course of the night. Neither dared to fall asleep in case Megane or the woman returned to attack them, so they resorted to keeping themselves entertained. He soon found that Paula could easily cheat by using her telepathy to read his mind, which he hadn't been able to do on humans yet. By this advantage she'd beaten him in charades, tic-tac-toe, and (most frustratingly) 20 questions. "I spy," they agreed, was pointless given the blandness of their prison. They didn't say much about their adventure, as it would remind them too greatly of the current predicament and create a tense silence for a few minutes.

They'd since moved on to rock-paper-scissors, where once again Paula was beating him without fail. Ness didn't mind; it was nice to see her smiling despite the situation.

"You're really bad at this," she giggled after her fourteenth win in a row.

"Nah, I lost on purpose that time."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You know it's just as hard to lose as to win in this game."

"Nuh uh. There's a whole strategy involved-"

Just as he was about to make up an explanation, the ground above them exploded inwards in a gigantic cloud of dirt. He sprang to his feet, bat in hand, wondering if their rescuer was too late. Had their captors come to finish them off? Ness grit his teeth; he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The thing which had crashed through the ceiling revealed itself to be a metallic ball once the dust cleared… or at least, it _had_ been a metallic ball. Now it was just a pile of scrap. A door opened on the side, and a faint yellow light shone out. Someone- a boy around his age, by the sound of it- could be heard inside, grumbling to himself between hacking coughs.

"Ugh… that was bad even for my first landing…"

His dust-caked blond bowl cut emerged from the crashed ship before the rest of him did. He seemed… small, with his slim fitting school uniform and narrow build. Even though he was about the same height as Ness, he didn't look it at first. The unexpected guest noticed him raising his bat and put his hands up defensively.

"Uh… e-easy there…"

Behind his glasses, his hazel eyes traced over to Paula. He swallowed nervously before speaking again.

"Y-you're… you called me in my sleep, didn't you?"

She gasped and took a step forward.

"Yes, I did! Are you from Winters?"

"That's right. Um… I guess that makes you Paula, yeah? And you must be Ness. My name's Jeff Andonuts."

His face was very red as he introduced himself. Jeff must not have been much of a people person, Ness figured.

"Do you have anything that can deal with this locked door?" he asked, pointing to it.

"Oh- yes, I do! One second…"

Jeff retrieved a duffel bag from the wreckage of his ship and dug some kind of metal box out of it. He made his way to the door, pulling the lock around to their side. Sticking a metal rod on the box through the keyhole, he pushed a button and caused the lock to explode. Ness didn't know if that was supposed to have happened, but when the box itself sparked and burst into flames he was pretty sure _that_ wasn't based on Jeff's panicked reaction.

"Ack! No, no, no!"

He dropped it, and the device clattered to the floor with a burst of smoke.

"Shoot, I'll never be able to fix this… ugh, Maxwell's gonna chew me out big time."

With the door unlocked, Jeff pulled it open and gestured for them to follow him. Retrieving their items, they marched out through the narrow tunnel.

"You must have come a long way," Paula said from the back. "I'm sorry we had to put you through the trouble."

"Don't worry about it. I was glad to finally leave Winters, even for just a bit. Actually… speaking of which, do you think I could maybe, um, join you in whatever you're doing?"

Jeff cleared his throat.

"I'm, uh, not very strong… really near-sighted, too. A-also, I'm pretty shy and I can be reckless now and then. T-this is just how I am, but I hope we can, um… b-be friends, and stuff…"

Ness looked back at Paula, who was smiling just as much as him. She nodded to show her approval.

"Yeah, of course!" he replied at last. "You saved us, so I'm sure we could use your help."

Jeff heaved an enormous sigh of relief. Had he been holding his breath while waiting for their answer?

"Thank you… I won't let you down. So, um, what are we doing?"

"Saving the world from an evil alien, and looking for eight places called Sanctuaries as we go."

"I… see," he muttered, no doubt trying to process that. "What're we dealing with right now?"

They came to a ladder at the far end of the passageway. Climbing up, the group reached the surface of Threed again. All along they'd been buried under the graveyard, with the zombies standing guard by the forest path visible once again. Even more of them were present this time, though fortunately they hadn't been seen.

"Zombies, mostly" Ness said, pointing at them.

Jeff looked like he was about to faint.

"You get used to it," Paula almost laughed. "We should probably get away from here, though. I don't think we can fight past that many."

They retreated from the area and made their way back toward central Threed. Ness was constantly on the lookout for Megane or the woman in black, but luckily neither had returned yet.

"Hm? That tent... was it there before?" Paula asked. She was pointing to a circus tent much like the one used as the Anti-Zombie Headquarters, but deep purple in color rather than orange. It sat unattended by the southern end of the town.

"I don't think it was. Let's go check it out," he said.

As they drew near, the tent began to shiver. Ness somehow wasn't surprised when a gaping, fanged mouth opened on the side facing them with two glaring eyes above it. After everything they'd been through, this wasn't much of a shock. Jeff, who had only just arrived, didn't think likewise judging by his startled cry.

"SO, YOU BRATS ARE HERE!" roared the tent. "WHO'S READY TO BE EATEN FIRST?"

Ness pointed his bat at it.

"The only thing you'll be chewing on is your foot by the end of this! If you had feet, of course. Let's get 'im!"

Paula flanked to the side of it, already casting PK Fire at the tent. It looked to be made of normal fabric, which meant it should have been flammable. They couldn't find out quite yet, because it dented inwards to curve itself around the attack. Once the flames had passed by, its shape returned to normal.

Ness wasn't in any hurry to get close to the gaping mouth, so he experimented with his own PSI abilities. Paralysis and Hypnosis did little to slow the tent down, and Flash only further enraged it. He rolled to the side when it spat a wad of something yellow and sticky at him. Though he avoided the projectile, there was no way to ignore how _disgusting_ it smelled. Plugging his nose with one hand, he used PK Rockin' to counterattack. Paula added another Fire from the other side of the tent, and this time it couldn't avoid them both.

"GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

It wasn't as flammable as he'd hoped, but the combined abilities were able to tear chunks of the tent apart. To the side, Jeff had finally gotten over his initial shock and was pitching in by… shooting at it with metal pellets?

"I have _no idea_ what's going on right now!" he shouted. "Uh… yeah, take that!"

His shots managed to rip small holes in the fabric, but aside from that he wasn't doing much. The tent's gaze swiveled to him, and a shadowy tongue extended from its mouth at a blinding speed. It stuck to Jeff's leg, slowly pulling him toward the ghostly jaws while he frantically tried to grab onto something.

"H-help!"

Ness slammed his bat down on the extended tongue, only for it to get stuck as well. Its progress was halted by Paula using PK Freeze, though the ice didn't look like it would hold for long. They each tried to attack the tent directly, but it was barely flinching from their PSI this time.

"In my bag, t-there should be a rocket!" Jeff yelled, clinging to the ground as the ice holding the tongue in place began to crack. "Bring it to me, quickly!"

The duffel wasn't far from them. Ness dashed over to it and looked inside. Sure enough, buried amidst the piles of spare clothing was a large bottle rocket. He ran back to Jeff and shoved it into his hands. Paula, who had been at his side to constantly refresh the icy grip on the tongue, backed away with Ness.

"H-here goes nothing! Taste the power of science!" Jeff yelled, pushing a button at the rocket's base.

It spewed a short burst of smoke into his face as it ignited, streaking through the air directly into the tent's mouth. For a split second its eyes widened in shock, then from within a massive explosion tore what was left of it apart. The tongue faded into thin air once the tent had been vaporized, releasing Jeff.

Ness felt his head spin, and more whispering could be heard. PSI Healing could now be used at its Beta level, like with Lifeup and Rockin'. Paula appeared to be going through a similar experience. When she stopped squeezing her eyes shut, he grinned at her.

"Did you learn a new ability again?"

"A few! PK Thunder, PSI Shield, and PSI Magnet! I think Fire and Freeze are stronger now, too."

PSI Shield? He wondered what the difference was between that and his own PK Shield. Speaking of which, he could have blocked the tongue from grabbing Jeff if he'd used that… it was probably best not to mention that to him. He was learning so many new abilities, Ness found it hard to remember he had them on occasion.

"D… did we win?" Jeff asked, hesitantly opening his eyes.

Ness threw both hands in the air.

"We did! That was awesome, where'd you get a bottle rocket?"

He stood up with a mild blush on his face.

"Heh… I built it myself. I don't have any more, though…"

"Hey, check this out!"

Paula was kneeling where the tent had been. She held a sealed jar of some yellow substance, which smelled like condensed vomit even with the lid on. It was labeled "fly honey."

"I don't know what this stuff does, but it smells nasty. If the tent was there to guard it, it must have some use."

"At the risk of making all my clothes stink, I'll keep it in my bag," Ness offered.

She handed him the jar without argument, and he stowed it away to forever ruin the inside of his backpack. Admittedly, he wasn't sure what their next move should have been, but someone yelled his name just in the nick of time.

"You there, in the red cap! You're Ness, right?"

It was a man in a red cap of his own, wearing a white shirt with a red snail logo on the front. He carried a brown package under his arm.

"Uh, yes. That's me."

"I knew it! I'm from Escargo Express, the most reliable delivery company in Eagleland! Some kid dressed like an apple gave me this package and said to bring it to you."

Ness was taking the box from him when a question came to mind.

"Hold on, you came from Twoson? How did you get past the ghosts in the tunnel?"

"Nothing stands in the way of Escargo Express!" chirped the courier. "All our deliveries are made on time, no matter the obstacle!"

He frowned.

"That doesn't answer my ques… never mind. Oh, by the way! Does Tracy Harris work for your company?"

At the mention of his sister's name, the man practically exploded in a delighted squeal.

"Oh yes, Tracy is our employee of the month! She's only worked part-time for less than three days, to boot!"

He envisioned her wearing the same company uniform and broke into a laugh.

"Really? That's incredible, she's actually my sister! Do you think you could store something for me, while you're here?"

"For the brother of Tracy?! Absolutely! And for your special first-time bonus, we'll cut the bill in half. Only nine dollars for whatever goods you wish to store!"

Ness handed him the Pencil Eraser- which he decided he wouldn't need anymore- and the fee, waving goodbye to the man as he ran off to the Two-Three Tunnel.

"I'm… confused," Paula said. Behind her, Jeff nodded to second the notion.

He just chuckled while he opened the package from Apple Kid. It was a stack of some odd blue-gray paper, each sheet separated by plastic wrap. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What was this supposed to be?

The receiver phone in his bag started to ring. Ness pulled it out and answered, if only to stop the dreadful noise it made.

"Hello?"

"Ness? Hey, it's Apple Kid! I sent you a package, did you get it yet?"

"Yeah, I just did. What the heck is this stuff?"

The sound of a microwave hummed in the background, reminding Ness that he hadn't eaten all day. He really needed to stop forgetting that.

"It's my newest invention! I call it Zombie Paper. You know how flypaper works, right? Like that, but for zombies. Just lay it down on the floor of some wide, enclosed area like a tent, and wait a few hours for it to work its magic!"

Ness grinned, then immediately realized something.

"Wait… how did you know there's a tent here in Threed? Or zombies? I'm pretty sure the local news isn't recording because of the outbreak."

Apple Kid's "answer" was only more confusing.

"Huh? You're in Threed? And there's _zombies_ around? Well, it's a good thing I invented that paper! If you're near a tent like you said, then it should be a big help for you. I have to go, good luck out there!"

He hung up just as the microwave beeped. Ness stared dumbly at the phone, then the Zombie Paper, then to Paula and Jeff, who were standing there giving him identical baffled looks.

"Now _I'm_ confused."


	22. The Chosen Three

Chapter 22: The Chosen Three

Following Apple Kid's oddly specific instructions, Ness and company returned to the circus tent in the middle of Threed. The members of the Zombie Relief Corps were still less than convinced a few kids would be able to stop the undead menace, but with no real ideas of their own they agreed to let them help. Together, they set up sheets of Zombie Paper around the tent's floor.

"You say we just have to wait now?" one lady asked.

"I think so. If we come back tomorrow morning, they should be stuck to the paper."

Once preparations were complete, the two groups parted ways for the night. Ness led his friends back to the hotel, where they booked a room with three beds. It took quite a large chunk out of his bank account to pay for it, but none of them had brought a sleeping bag.

Like the last time he called, he told his parents about the arrival of a new ally and their recent exploits. Tracy confirmed that she was holding onto the Pencil Eraser at home for him, and his mother once again insisted that Ness visit sometime and bring his friends along. His father hadn't updated his bank account yet, but he did mention that the journal of his adventure was coming along nicely. He even joked that it could be turned into a novel with enough time.

Once all three had showered, something Paula in particular was thankful for after spending hours in a dusty cell, they shared the burgers Ness bought in Twoson. Reheating them with a light PK Fire turned out to make them taste better than expected, especially for Jeff, who- to Ness's horror- had never eaten one before. As they had dinner, he and Paula filled in their new companion on the adventure to that point.

"…and that's when I killed the Titanic Ant with PK Rockin'…"

Jeff took most of what he said at face value, stating that after a monkey which could fly using bubble gum and riding the back of a lake monster he was willing to stretch his suspension of disbelief. He seemed to lack PSI, or indeed any knowledge of what it was, but one explanation later he was almost envious.

"Man, psychic powers sound cool… anyway, your first Sanctuary was after that?"

"Yeah. Without Buzz Buzz, I didn't really know what to do, but that was when Paula contacted me."

Talking about his adventure to him made Ness reflect on how much had happened in just a few short days. This still all felt surreal, but he'd grown somewhat accustomed to the strange happenings. Besides, not every kid had the chance to save the world.

"I found her kidnapped in Happy Happy Village. The leaders of the cult there were my neighbor Pokey Minch and a man named Carpainter. There was also someone he called Mr. Megane-"

"Wait, stop," Jeff said, a look of deep concern on his face. "Paula, you said in my dream that same person was one of the people who trapped you two earlier, right?"

She nodded, and Ness wondered what the significance was.

"He was here with some blonde lady in all black with red eyes. Do you know them?"

"I don't know any woman like that, but Megane… could you describe how he looked?"

Ness had no difficulty recalling the man, as his unsettling smirk was still on his mind.

"He had short white hair, glasses with round lenses, and the same red eyes as her… I think he had freckles on his face too, but I can't be sure."

Jeff appeared to have gotten paler.

"That… no, that can't be right… Mr. Megane- he's a teacher at my school. He didn't have red eyes, but everything else you said matches him perfectly."

"What's he doing out here, then? Why do he and that woman want to stop us?" asked Paula. "Could they be working with Giygas?"

"It's not impossible," Ness pointed out. "A lot of people have been turning bad because of him. If he attacks us again, maybe we can knock the evil out of him like I did with Frank and Carpainter."

The rest of the night was spent mostly in silence, largely due to Jeff's discomfort. He must have looked up to Megane quite a lot, Ness thought, if the idea of him being an enemy hit him that hard. They went to bed after another half hour or so, and thankfully no telepathic call disturbed him this time. It was the first night since the start of his adventure that he slept peacefully.

Morning never exactly arrived. When they woke up, they looked outside to find the same dark clouds hanging over the town as the day before. No citizens were on the streets, but from their window they couldn't see any zombies either. Throwing on their "adventuring outfits," as Paula called them, they left the room to start the next leg of their journey. In the lobby, a nervous-looking bellhop called the three over.

"You're not going out, are you? The morning newspaper came in, but it's different. It calls itself the Zombie Herald, with this headline: 'Boogey Tent falls! Three human children to blame, focus all attacks on them!'"

They shared uneasy looks, but Ness wasn't going to let himself be intimidated out of his mission.

"We can handle ourselves out there, thank you."

Having his new friends made him actually believe that.

"I think we should check if the Zombie Paper worked," Jeff said once they left the hotel. "If it did, maybe the path in the woods you mentioned is clear."

Fortune smiled upon them, as upon visiting the circus tent again they found the Zombie Relief Corps members standing outside with disgusted expressions.

"That stuff you gave us did the trick," one man said to Ness. "It looks like most of the zombies in town are stuck now. Honestly, it's kind of gross in there, but if you want to see for yourself I won't stop you."

Paula and Jeff were in no hurry to enter the tent by the looks on their faces, so he went in alone. Any lingering doubts he had about Apple Kid's prowess as an inventor were dispelled when he saw the results of last night's efforts. Zombies of all sizes lay strewn about the floor, stuck to the sheets of paper. Some were missing limbs from when they'd attempted to unstick themselves, some had begun turning to dust, and others just laid there, continuing to struggle.

"Grrrr!" one of the remaining zombies snarled at him. "You! You're one of the humans who destroyed the Boogey Tent!"

"Is that what you call it?" Ness asked. The fact that a corpse was talking was by then no surprise to him. "Weird, it never introduced itself to me. All my other big enemies have. Well, I guess that woman in black didn't… hey zombie, can you tell me _her_ name?"

"Never!" it growled. "Just you wait, boy, Master Belch will avenge us all!"

He got the feeling her name wasn't Belch, and the zombie wouldn't be much more help, so he left it to rot with the others and exited the tent. Paula had waited by the door for him, while Jeff was making his way toward them again from an alley by the local drugstore. His bag seemed bulkier than before.

"I'm back, what'd I miss?"

"Apparently the zombies are led by someone named Master Belch," Ness reported. "What do you _have_ in there?"

Jeff looked around for a moment then unzipped it, revealing a seemingly endless supply of small bombs and bottle rockets.

"I met with a, uh, supplier while you were gone. It's better if you don't ask questions."

"How did you even pay for all that?" he asked, still wide-eyed at the arsenal. "Do you have an ATM card?"

Jeff cracked a grin.

"Nope, but I do have a loyalty program of sorts. I've been saving my points for a _long_ time, let me tell you. This seemed like the best chance to use them."

"I guess we won't have to worry about zombies now," Paula understated. He was packing enough firepower to level a small town by the looks of it.

With most of the zombies taken care of, they traveled back to the graveyard and were finally able to use the path through the woods. They arrived at another ladder extending underground to what looked like a tunnel. It was too dark to see, so Ness pulled out his flashlight. Of course, the stupid thing's batteries chose the exact moment they entered the hole to die on him, and he hadn't brought spares. They weren't entirely out of options, however. A short use of PK Flash: Alpha was enough to light the way forward with a pulsing green ball. By flicking his clenched fist around, Ness found he could control its direction without having to detonate it. The only problem was it took all of his concentration not to have the ball explode in their faces.

Well, not the _only_ problem. They weren't alone in the dark, humid tunnel, as a few zombies had avoided the trap and were waiting to ambush them. Paula took the lead, fighting them off with PK Fire while Jeff occasionally launched a bottle rocket to clear out any larger clusters of them. He wasn't as terrified as he had the first time they encountered zombies, and in fact could hold his own even without PSI.

" _Oooooooo~"_

All three of them froze up at the ragged moan from further ahead. Something was pulling itself along the ground toward them, making a metallic scrape inch by inch. When a mobile trash can came into view at last, Ness didn't know if he should have been horrified or disgusted. Possibly both, as the lid opened and released _the single worst smelling ghost in the world_. It was like Pokey's socks had become self-aware, started a moldy cheese factory, crawled up the butt of a radioactive skunk and died slow, painful deaths, only to come back from beyond the grave with a vendetta against any non-putrid scents in the world, and this was where the analogy began to run on a bit too long. He decided to stop when the red, wispy figure emanating from the trash spoke again.

 _"_ _Youuuu have entered the domain of Master Belch,"_ it droned. _"Surrender now, or your souls shall forever be lost in the eternal void of smelliness… for I, the great possessor, will take them from your living flesh and-"_

"Oh, cut it _out_ already!" another voice shouted in an ornery tone from beyond the tunnel.

Ness and company snapped their attention to a white ghost like the ones which they passed in the Two-Three tunnel earlier, poking its face through the rocky wall. It glared at its red counterpart in the trash can.

"How many times have I told you?" it hissed. " _I'm_ the one who gets to possesses people! You're the smelly ghost that makes entire cities uninhabitable with your mere presence, stick to your _own_ thing!"

"Well, maybe I feel like branching out!" the red ghost shot back, now in a more normal voice. "How else am I gonna get opportunities? It's important to have a lot of skills in this work environment, you know?"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" roared the white ghost. "WE HAVE EXACTLY ONE PURPOSE FOR OUR AFTERLIVES, THERE IS NO UNDEAD WORK ENVIRONMENT!"

"YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS I'M WEARING THIS TRASH CAN BETTER THAN YOU! MOM ALWAYS SAID _I_ HAD THE BETTER FASHION SENSE!"

"FUNNY, I REMEMBER HER BEING COLORBLIND… JUST LIKE YOU!"

"MAYBE THAT'S WHY SHE LIKED ME MORE, WE HAD SO MUCH IN COMMON!"

They crept past the ghosts completely unnoticed.


	23. Boing, Belch

Chapter 23: Boing, Belch

"That… got _super_ uncomfortable," Paula remarked as they came to another ladder at the far end of the tunnel. The argument could still be heard behind them.

"You said it. I didn't think I'd see ghosts fighting- or ghosts at all," Jeff added.

Sunlight hit Ness for the first time since they left Twoson. The ladder brought them to an area not unlike Peaceful Rest Valley, a grassy plateau looming in the distance. His eyes widened at the sight of water cascading into the river below them. A sign posted near the tunnel's exit identified the place as Grapefruit Falls.

"Whoa… I've never seen a waterfall before," he said. Paula looked equally spellbound, though Jeff had a more troubled expression.

"Something's wrong here… the water has a kind of green tint to it."

He approached and stuck a hand into the river. Ness saw him flinch at the touch of something in the water.

"…yeah. It's all gunky in here. There's something polluting it… ugh, it smells like puke."

Jeff trotted back over to them, wiping his hand off.

"I just hope that stuff isn't harmful to human flesh… probably shouldn't have stuck my hand in, now that I think about it."

"Maybe you'll get a mutant super-hand," Paula joked. "You'd look cool with a monster claw!"

They followed the path leading toward the waterfall. More zombies were lazing about, this time accompanied by red ants the size of small cats. Jeff strode out in front of Ness and Paula, already reaching into his bag. Rather than a bottle rocket, he held a round ball in his hand.

"Fire in the hole!" he called, throwing it at the crowd of enemies with a smirk.

The bomb detonated, sending rotten limbs everywhere and reducing the ants to smears on the grass. Any remaining foes swiftly fell to shots from his pop gun.

"You're really getting the hang of this," Ness complimented him.

"Hehehe, thanks. Shoot, I'm out of ammo…"

"If you're out of ammo, then you _can't_ shoot," he said, grinning at his own joke and at Paula's exasperated groan.

Jeff stowed the gun away in his bag. With the path cleared, they proceeded until they reached the entrance to another tunnel near the waterfall.

"Doesn't look like anything else is up ahead," Paula said, peering beyond the cave.

"Well, let's go through here. Whatever those zombies were guarding must be _somewhere_ nearby," Ness replied.

To their unanimous delight the tunnel wasn't very long, and devoid of enemies to boot. Its only distinguishing feature at all was the odd sound coming from the other side. A rhythmic bouncing noise hummed around the group, only getting louder as they approached the tunnel's exit. Once again they stepped into sunlight, but the novelty was far overshadowed by the small… _thing_ confronting them on the grassy trail.

"Hi Ho! StRaNgErS! NeW fRiEnDs, BoInG?"

It wasn't like anything Ness had ever seen- and that was saying a lot by then. The creature was around the size of a soccer ball, with two stumpy legs and a huge, round nose on the front of its face. Its entire body was a pale tan in color save for the thing's beady black eyes and bushy eyebrows. Thin whiskers flanked its nose, and a single hair stuck out from the top of its body, a tiny ribbon wrapped around the thread. It didn't appear to have arms, so how it balanced itself with such a large nose was a mystery… along with, you know, what this thing even was.

"YoU nEw To SaTuRn VaLlEy!" it chirped. "Me Mr. SaTuRn. HeRe, AlL aRe Mr. SaTuRn. ZoOoOm!"

"What… even…" was all he could say.

The Mr. Saturn didn't seem interested in attacking them, trotting off along the path while making more squeaking noises.

"Is, uh, this what you came to Threed for?" Jeff asked as they followed it.

"I… honestly have no idea," he admitted. Was Saturn Valley the third Sanctuary?

They arrived at a clearing full of tan, cylindrical buildings with conical roofs, scattered haphazardly around the area. No paved streets or any signs of even the most basic city planning were visible, and in fact Ness could see multiple ladders propped up against the hills that led to absolutely nowhere. More Mr. Saturns, all identical to the one they'd met, moseyed around the village.

"They're… they're _adorable_ …" Paula gasped, her hands clasped together over her heart.

"ZoOm! EvErYoNe! FrIeNdS, nEw ViSiToRs!"

"BoInG!"

The entire town appeared to greet them at once, and they found themselves surrounded by at least two dozen Mr. Saturns. As far as Ness could tell, there were no differences between males and females- if they even had genders, that is.

"NeW fRiEnDs! WhY cOmE SaTuRn VaLlEy, DiNg?"

Their high-pitched squeaking was difficult for Ness to understand, but he could just make out what they were trying to say.

"We're looking for a special place called a Sanctuary, and trying to stop the zombies attacking Threed," he said, hoping they were intelligent enough to understand him.

"ZoOm! StInKy, BeHiNd GrApEfRuIt FaLlS! SpEcIaL pLaCe… uP! MiLkY wElL, bOiNg!" one shouted from the crowd.

"Milky Well?" repeated Paula. "Could the Sanctuary be there? Where's, um, 'up?'"

"Up HiLl, DiNgY dInGy! HiLl… BlOcKeD! StInKy KeEp LaDdEr AwAy, KiDnAp Mr. SaTuRnS. MaKe ThReEd ZoMbIe FuLl… StInKy BaSe BeHiNd FaLlS, zOoM!"

As odd as the creatures were, they at least gave them (hopefully) useful information. They made way for Ness and his friends to leave the village, still singing their bouncy tune.

"Well, they seemed… nice," Jeff commented, looking back at the crowd.

"I know what I want for my first pet!" declared Paula.

"Uh, I don't think you should take one from-"

The look she gave Ness shut him up. He still remembered what had happened when Pokey got on her nerves, and the last thing he wanted was to be on the receiving end of her anger.

"D-did they say something about the waterfall?" he blurted out to change the topic.

They had returned through the cave and were now standing only a few yards from it. Looking closer, they could see a barely-noticeable gap between the rush of water and the rocky cliff behind it. A narrow passageway was visible, leading to a sealed metal door.

"This must be the base… do you think there's a password?" Ness wondered aloud.

"I'll bet there is," replied Paula. "They must have _some_ kind of security, it's not like we can just knock on the door."

Jeff was knocking on the door.

"What?" he asked, looking confused at their simultaneous face-palms. "We had to try at least."

 _"_ _So that's what he meant when he said he could be reckless…"_

A tiny slot on the door slid open to let a pair of round white eyes peer out at them. Jeff recoiled from the door, covering his nose, and even from that distance Ness could smell something funky in there.

"Eh? Who are you?" came a croak of a voice. "Are you here to deliver Master Belch's snack?"

Ness blinked, then put two and two together. He pulled the rancid-smelling jar out of his bag, presenting it to the door.

"Uh, yeah! I've got it right here."

The eyes narrowed at him.

"Hmph, looks like the right stuff. Still… you don't seem familiar to me. I'll have to verify your trustworthiness somehow. Tell you what, stay perfectly still for three minutes! Ready? Go!"

"Three minutes?" he questioned, raising a brow. "Why do we-"

"Talking counts as moving! Start over!"

Ness turned to his friends with a shrug, then flinched as the person behind the door yelled to start over a second time.

The wait was more agonizing than anything he'd been through thus far. It took every fiber of his willpower not to fidget where he stood, absentmindedly scratch himself, or even breathe too loudly. When he couldn't hold back a sneeze that somehow crept up on him two minutes in and forced him to start over yet again, Ness seriously considered using Paralysis on himself. He could hear Paula and Jeff groaning behind him as well.

 _Finally_ they managed to remain still for three whole minutes, after which point the door opened for them. They stepped inside and found themselves in a sprawling factory under the waterfall. Hissing pipes and metal rails snaked all across the hollowed-out chamber, with no traces of organic life to be seen. Even the person behind the door had vanished, though his stench was still present. In fact, the compound's poor ventilation as a whole made Ness's nose ache.

"Let's just… keep moving," he said, pinching his nostrils shut.

They proceeded along the factory's main corridor, encountering no enemies along the way except for tiny piles of a green, sludge-like substance with eyes like the ones Ness had seen behind the door. All of them shared the same horrible smell, but fortunately none tried to attack when they saw him carrying the Fly Honey. Whatever it did, it must have been important.

At some point they reached a room with a conveyer belt leading between two pipes in the walls. A trio of Mr. Saturns were chained up beside it, using their enlarged noses to put the lids on more jars of the disgusting honey. Based on their anguished expressions, being so close to the smell was physically painful for them.

"…"

Ness paused as a chill suddenly ran down his spine, and he swore he could _feel_ the rage Paula was emanating. She stomped over to each of the imprisoned creatures and- with her bare hands- tore their chains off.

"Stay safe, okay?" she told them. "We'll clear a path out for you."

"ZoOm! HeRoEs! DiNg!"

He and Jeff gave each other an uneasy glance, following behind her as they approached the deepest room in the factory. An utterly nauseating scent wafted through the air, and they could hear something like laughter from beyond the final doorway.

"Ghe-ghe-ghe! What've we got here? Have the brats arrived at last?"

Inside was another of the sludge creatures, but this one was as tall as Ness. His body, mixed shades of green and brown in color, had an unpleasant lumpiness that reminded him uncomfortably of vomit. Come to think of it, the monster _smelled_ like vomit left in the sun for three days.

"I'm Master Belch, new boss of this town!" he chortled, emitting an unpleasant burp every other word. "You've got some nerve barging in uninvited, kids."

"You should get a better doorman, then," Ness shot back. "He just let us in, no questions asked."

Belch's round eyes rolled.

"Ugh, of course. Did he at least make you wait the usual ten minutes first?"

"Nope, just three."

"THREE?!" the pile of vomit roared. "Once I'm done thrashing you around, I'm gonna fire him straight away!"

A bottle rocket sailed into the side of his body and detonated, splattering a good chunk of Belch across the wall.

"Don't be too sure of that!" Jeff said defiantly. "We're strong enough to beat you together!"

"Izzat so?"

Belch's mouth opened, spewing out a sickly green cloud that made Ness's eyes water. He didn't understand the point until he tried PK Rockin', which he found much more difficult to aim with the tears obscuring part of his vision. The psychic wave sailed harmlessly past its target, scorching the wall behind him.

"Like my patented 'Ultra Bad Breath Attack?'" he chortled. "It's so powerful it can raise zombies and ghosts from the dead! Against humans? Well… let's just say you're gonna die over the course of about a minute. Lights out, kid!"

He wasn't lying. Ness felt all of his stamina siphon away as the poison entered his nostrils. It burned his throat- and most of his body, actually.

"Don't you have an ability to deal with sicknesses?" Paula shouted to him in between casting PK Fire at their enemy. "Back up and use it!"

Nodding, he retreated to the far corner of the room and pointed a finger at himself.

"PSI Healing: Alpha."

His eyes stopped watering, but nothing else about his condition improved. Panicking as time ticked away, Ness tried again. This time he crossed his fingers and called upon the stronger version he'd learned earlier.

"PSI Healing: Beta?"

Thankfully, that one did the trick. In a small flash of light he felt his health return. The stench of Belch's attack remained, in addition to the Fly Honey he was carrying, but he was back to normal regardless.

 _"_ _Wait, the Fly Honey…"_

The doorman had mentioned it being a snack for Belch, which gave him an idea. As Paula and Jeff scrambled away from another Ultra Bad Breath Attack, he flung the jar as hard as he could at the pile of living vomit. It landed in his mouth, and his eyes widened. Belch stopped fighting altogether, trying to undo the lid without even paying attention to them.

"He's… barely attacked us," Jeff noted. "Does anyone else feel like this is _too_ easy?"

"Let's just take advantage of it!" said Paula. "PK Freeze: Beta!"

"PK Rockin': Beta!" Ness added.

"Uh, PK Blockbuster!" shouted Jeff as he launched another bottle rocket.

Their combined attacks utterly demolished Belch, reducing him to nothing but a twitching pile of sludge on the floor, walls, and almost all of them too. Acting quickly, Ness threw himself in front of Paula to spare her the misfortune of being covered in gunk.

"Urk… this stuff reeks…"

"N-Ness!" she gasped. "What'd you do that for? I wasn't in any danger!"

He turned and managed to smile at her despite the overwhelming smell.

"I j-just didn't want you to get dirtier, that's all."

A blush crept onto her cheeks as he tried to wipe himself off. To the side, Jeff was doing the same.

"Ugh, could've lent me a hand too…"

"Sorry, there's only one of me and she was closer. By the way, PK Blockbuster?"

This time it was Jeff's face that reddened.

"I, um, couldn't think of a better name in time. You guys were yelling out your psychic attacks, and it sounded fun…"

Both he and Paula tried to stifle a giggle.

"Well, at least we did it," he said with a grin. "And if he's not around to produce more of that bad breath, Threed shouldn't have any more zombies to deal with. Let's go back to Saturn Valley and see about that special place they mentioned. It could be the third Sanctuary."

"You had me at 'Saturn!'" cheered Paula.


	24. Number Three, Coming Up

Chapter 24: Number Three, Coming Up

Conveniently, Belch was guarding a rocky tunnel at the far end of his base which led straight back to Saturn Valley. All of the remaining Mr. Saturns had been freed, singing off-key congratulations to the trio. Paula, as expected, was scooping them up into her arms four at a time the whole way back, ensuring that not a single one went unsqueezed.

Ness didn't think he would ever appreciate the scent of fresh air so much, but stepping out of the tunnel back into Saturn Valley made him realize how wonderful it was to not be trapped in the worst-smelling place in the world. The sun, hovering at just past noon, really hit the spot for him after the coldness of Belch's factory.

Speaking of warmth, he could feel a light heat in his pocket. To his surprise, the Sound Stone was glowing like it had back in Happy Happy Village. It seemed to be directing him toward another tunnel at the far end of the town, past a spring of some pink liquid which reminded him a bit too much of cough syrup.

"Excuse me?" he asked one of the Mr. Saturns, pointing at the cave's mouth. "Is Milky Well through there?"

"DiNg! DiNg! CoRrEcT! No PrIzE yEt, BoInG. CoMe LaTeR… sNaCkS! CoFfEe! ZoOoOoM!"

He liked the sound of that. Furthermore, now he understood what the one from earlier had meant by "up." They were standing on a cliff at the top of the valley, looking down at the path they'd arrived in earlier. Several of the townsfolk had set up new ladders to connect the two levels of their village, merrily dinging all the way.

"Hey, the Sanctuary's this way!" Ness called. "Let's go find it, then the Mr. Saturns said they'll give us some snacks."

Paula reluctantly put down the group she'd been hugging and followed him with Jeff bringing up the rear. Together they entered the tunnel, the Sound Stone's light guiding their way through yet another long stretch of the cave…

Oh? Never mind, they were outside again. The darkness had only lasted ten yards or so, leading to a lush clearing full of vegetation. It didn't appear to have a path through the dense shrubbery, but frankly Ness was just glad to not be in another cave for a change.

"This place is really beautiful," Paula hummed. "I can't sense any hostile energy here. Who knows, maybe we won't have to fight a guardian like at Lilliput Steps!"

"OW! You stepped on me, idiot!"

Ness jumped at the ornery voice yelling at him. For a moment he thought it was Jeff, but he was nowhere nearby and looked just as startled. Then he realized it had been right under his feet.

"Uh, what…?"

Something leaped out of the grass and onto a small rock, sputtering angrily. It was a green-topped mushroom like the red ones Ness had encountered on the road to Twoson. He recalled them not being able to talk, yet this mobile fungus was loudly spitting a stream of curses at him despite a lack of a mouth.

"Jeez, I'm sorry!" he groaned. "I didn't see you in the grass. Are you hurt?"

"My PRIDE is, bub! You're gonna pay for that now! Prepare to feel the might of the Funky Flora Force!"

They closed in, their backs against one another's, as a horde of other mushrooms and walking sprouts emerged from the grass around them. Ness raised his bat with a smirk.

"Ah, they're just more plants. This shouldn't be too hard."

Even as he said it his eyes shifted to see the lead mushroom fling a spore directly at his forehead. It connected, and an explosion of colors burst before his eyes. Suddenly he felt relaxed, forgetting all about how important his mission was.

Mission? What mission? What had he been doing, anyway? Who were these people? Who was he? Ah, it didn't matter. Life was good, and he only cared about appreciating this bliss for as long as possible. Nothing was important, nothing at all…

…of course, the story must go on. With Ness preoccupied, we'll just have to let someone else take the lead for now.

* * *

Paula retaliated to the mushroom's attack by swiping her hands at the row of plants closest to her.

"PK Fire: Beta!"

They were completely incinerated, giving her an opening to drag Ness away from the crowd. Jeff unleashed more bombs from his arsenal behind her to cover their escape.

"Ness! Are you okay?"

"Wheeee… I'm having fun…"

She felt her eyes nearly bulge out at the sight of a mushroom growing from his forehead. The roots looked to have embedded straight through his skin, and she could only hope it hadn't penetrated his skull.

"J-just hang in there, we'll think of something…"

"There's too many of them, we need to go!" Jeff yelled.

The plants had blocked their way back to Saturn Valley, and he'd barely thinned their numbers. Paula nodded and grabbed Ness by the arm, tugging him behind her across the clearing.

"That's right, keep running!" heckled the lead mushroom. "Our boss will take good care of you suckers!"

She bit her lip, knowing they were heading straight for the inevitable guardian of the Sanctuary. There was no other option, though; they couldn't head back and she didn't know how to get the mushroom off Ness's head without possibly hurting him. The only good fortune was that he didn't resist being pulled along.

"You're really cute, miss…"

Her face heated up, then she noticed he was staring at Jeff rather than her. To be honest, she couldn't decide how to feel about that.

"That thing's messing with his senses," he said. "But if we just try to pull it out, it could irreparably damage his brain."

"I… back when we made it to the second Sanctuary, it healed our wounds. If we get Ness to this one, maybe it can help him too."

"That's a pretty big 'if,' young lady," announced a familiar voice.

At the far end of the clearing, just before another cave entrance, stood Mr. Megane, his short white hair gently waving in the breeze. The man had his arms folded and was smirking just like before. Behind his glasses, his blood-red eyes scanned all three of them.

"I'll admit I'm impressed you managed to escape the underground cell," he chuckled, "but I really can't have you causing any more problems for Master Giygas."

His expression settled into an irritated grimace.

"And given that the appointed guardian of this Sanctuary doesn't seem interested in coming to work today, I'm left to handle you myself. Which is fine, I could use the exercise."

Paula glowered at him, keeping her frying pan clutched in both hands. She positioned herself in front of Ness, who she sat down on the grass to keep out of trouble.

"You're not getting anywhere near him!"

"Mr. Megane, w-why are you doing this?" Jeff pleaded. "Don't you recognize me?"

The man's eyes shifted onto him, and for a moment he put a hand to his head. Paula remembered the woman in black going through a similar headache before Jeff rescued them, and just like his partner had then, Mr. Megane shook it off before long.

"Of course I recognize you. If you're on their side, I'm going to crush you all the same!"

His hand disappeared into a pocket of his black suit, and he whipped out a small gray gadget which looked unsettlingly like a gun. It was actually worse, because when he pulled the trigger a _laser_ shot from the barrel. Paula held up her frying pan at just the right time to bounce the projectile away. Mr. Megane only grinned and pointed it at Jeff instead, forcing him to leap out of harm's way.

"We have to fight him, Jeff!" she yelled.

"I… I know! Whatever's gotten into him, I'm going to get it out!" he replied through gritted teeth. "Stay close to Ness!"

"Hmhmhmhmhm…"

Mr. Megane opened fire on them again, and they split apart to cover more ground. Paula deflected another one of his shots before casting PK Freeze back at him. She could see Jeff attempting to flank his teacher in between laser blasts, and the look on his face showed just how uncomfortable with this he was. Despite that he wasn't hesitating, firing bottle rockets from his bag at their enemy whenever he got the chance.

"Ah, so you've been keeping up with this hobby!" Mr. Megane cackled, ducking under one just before it impacted the rocky wall behind him. "I always knew you'd go far with this. But your aim could use some work. Let me show you how it's done!"

He produced a thin, red-striped tube from inside his coat, flicked a switch, and threw it like a dart at Jeff. A second later, small thrusters on its end kicked on to propel it even faster. The mini-rocket burst just above his head, knocking him to the dirt in a shower of sparks.

"See that? That's just a small one. You'd be about a head shorter if I used a normal-sized rocket. Not like you're in any less trouble!"

With a dramatic _swoosh_ he flung back part of his jacket and revealed a cluster of more small bottle rockets. Mr. Megane swiped a hand across their activation switches, launching five at once. He had a demented, exhilarated look in his eyes.

Paula couldn't tell how Jeff was faring, as three of them came for her and Ness in unison. She swatted one aside with her frying pan, freezing the other two in midair with her PSI. Not even a second later, she was forced on the defensive again by Mr. Megane's laser blasts. With a frustrated growl, she thrust an open palm forward.

"PK Fire: Beta!"

Their opponent had launched another series of mini-rockets, but the heat from her attack destroyed all of them before they could get close. Even better, it ruptured the ones still in the man's jacket enough to blow them up right next to him. He was flung backwards by the detonation, crashing against the scorched rock wall leading to the next Sanctuary.

"Ugh… you're tenacious, I have to say. It seems like nothing we throw at you convinces you kids to just _stop_. I don't need PSI to use fire; let me show you!"

Mr. Megane flipped a switch on his pistol, and a jet of flames erupted from the barrel. In a panic, Paula used PK Freeze in conjunction with PSI Shield to create an icy barrier around her and Ness, who was still rambling to himself with the mushroom having grown bigger on his forehead.

 _"_ _C-crap… I don't know what to do…"_

She clasped her hands together and whispered a hurried prayer.

"Please, if anyone can hear me, help us…"

Nothing happened, and her spirits plummeted. Another fiery wave from Mr. Megane's weapon slammed into her barrier, which had already begun to melt. He could be heard chuckling behind her.

"That's it, hide from your inevitable defeat. After everything I've tried to stop your progress, I'm surprised we haven't fought sooner. I blocked Ness's path with a metallic pencil statue, I deployed robots in Peaceful Rest Valley, and I even had my friend set a trap for you in Threed. Incidentally, I'm still amazed it worked… well, until you escaped that is."

"PK Thunder: Alpha!" she cried, aiming her fingers at him around her ice shield.

Electricity crackled out of her hand, scorching the air as it flew toward Mr. Megane. It was Paula's first time using the attack, and she couldn't control it very well. Not a single bolt hit him in the end. His grin widened until he broke out into a laugh.

"Is that all?"

"Hardly!"

Jeff's voice came from one of the shrubs near them. He'd escaped Paula's attention for a while- and evidently Mr. Megane's as well, because he was caught completely off guard by a sudden barrage of bottle rockets. His pained cries were drowned out by the deafening explosions.

"I'm r-really sorry about this, sir," Jeff muttered as he rejoined her and Ness. "But we have to snap you out of it!"

The man wasn't done yet, though his suit was in tatters and ash covered part of his face. He raised his gun again and fired a laser at them, striking Jeff in the chest. The shot knocked him to the ground, but he didn't seem seriously wounded. That was about to change, however, as Mr. Megane took aim at his exposed face.

"PK Freeze: Beta!"

Paula launched a chunk of ice the size of a bowling ball, landing a direct hit on the side of his head. An audible "clunk" was heard, and he dropped to his knees.

"Ugh, serves me right for underestimating you…"

She still had her hands outstretched, ready to keep attacking if he wasn't about to give up. To her side, Jeff was on his feet again with another bottle rocket aimed. Their foe's eyes glanced between the two, then to Ness behind them. He sighed, stumbling as he got back up.

"You're powerful, even without that boy's help. I'm not strong enough to take you all down together… fine, then! I'll be leaving now. Enjoy your victory while it lasts!"

"Mr. Megane, wait!" Jeff cried.

He withdrew a purple, spherical object from his jacket and threw it at the ground before him. A flash of blue light enveloped the teacher, leaving no trace of him behind once it was gone. Victorious, Paula dragged Ness to his feet and beckoned for Jeff to follow her.

"Are you okay? That laser was pretty bad."

"I'll be fine," he mumbled, still looking downcast over the loss of his teacher. "How's Ness doing?"

His oblivious, bubbly expression hadn't changed, though fortunately the mushroom in his forehead had stopped growing. She led them both through the tunnel Mr. Megane had been guarding, and they reached another lush clearing. A small pond of some light pink liquid sat among the grass, being continually refilled by a gentle fountain from a rock in its center. Even the smell of the place was calming for her. She felt her aches and scrapes vanish all at once and closed her eyes, allowing herself to soak in the tranquility of the place.

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **Sanctuary Guardian: Mr. Megane**

"Jeff's teacher attacks! He's the toughest human enemy so far, and is more durable than he looks. Don't underestimate his mini bottle rockets!"


	25. How Far We've Come

Chapter 25: How Far We've Come

Ness blinked and looked around in a bleary-eyed daze. Where was he? How did he get there? Why did his head feel so weird?

"Oh, the mushroom's gone!" he heard Jeff say from behind him.

"Mushroom…?" he moaned. "What're you talking about?"

Paula was looking at his forehead, rubbing her fingers over it like she was trying to find something. He might have blushed if he didn't feel so strange at the moment.

"That walking mushroom threw a spore at your face," she explained. "It put you in this weird trance for a while, but getting to the Sanctuary must have taken care of it with the rest of our injuries."

"H-hold on, we made it while I was out?"

Jeff nodded, a small grin on his face.

"Yeah, she led you here by the hand. She never let you move too far from her, even during that last fight."

This time Ness fully blushed, and based on Paula suddenly clearing her throat it seemed she did too.

"I-I didn't do it all by myself!" she hastily said. "Jeff did most of the damage… I was just keeping you safe during it."

The second she said it she made a tiny squeak and covered her face with her hands. Ness, though still embarrassed himself, laughed good-naturedly.

"Well, I'm sorry I wasn't more help. I'll have to make it up to you guys sometime. By the way, did you say there was a fight? Was it the guardian?"

Paula frowned.

"Not exactly. It was Mr. Megane, Jeff's teacher. He said there was supposed to be someone waiting for us who never showed up. Instead he fought us himself… he was tough, but we beat him together. He said he couldn't defeat us all and ran away after that."

Ness looked over to Jeff and could still see traces of sadness in his eyes.

"Huh… shoot, I'd hoped if we beat him he would turn good again. We'll just have to give it another shot the next time we run into him. What else did I miss?"

Paula stepped out of the way to give him a better view of Milky Well.

"Just that. Are you gonna do the thing with the Sound Stone?"

"Oh, right. One second."

He pulled it out of his pocket and stepped closer to the cream-colored pond. Ness closed his eyes, holding it out over the water like he had for the last two Sanctuaries. For just a moment, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

 _"…_ _I love you, son… remember to always be a thoughtful, strong boy…"_

He missed his mother. He missed his father. He missed Tracy. He missed King. He even missed Picky next door, and he wondered how he was doing. But as much as Ness wanted to go home, there was still a world to save. The Sanctuary's power flowed into the Sound Stone, and he heard another short section of a melody. After that, all was silent except for Milky Well's light rush of water.

"It's done," he announced.

Paula and Jeff joined him, each with a curious expression.

"Where to next?" the latter asked. "That's three out of eight, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I don't really know where the others are. Why don't we go back to Saturn Valley? Maybe they'll have a hint for us there, or at least those snacks they promised."

Like he even needed to ask. Paula was bouncing on her feet.

"Aha! I've found you!"

All three of them jumped at the deep growl addressing them. Inside the tunnel leading back was a pile of rust-colored soil with a pair of round, cartoony eyes glaring at the trio. A withered yellow sprout protruded from the top.

"What're you supposed to be?" Ness asked, holding his bat in case it tried to attack.

"I'm the guardian of this place, Trillionage Sprout!. The Sanctuary's mine now, and I won't let any of you get to it! I'm gonna take you down!"

He looked to Paula and Jeff with a blank expression, then back to the late arrival. Was this what Megane had been waiting for?

"We, uh, already got here. Recorded the melody and everything."

Trillionage Sprout's mouth of dirt hung half-open for a moment, then it cleared its throat.

"Oh. Well then, guess I don't need to do anything. Off you go, kids."

And so, without even trying to attack, it slunk off into the tunnel down a different path than the main route. They proceeded back through it, facing no resistance even from the hostile plants in the first clearing.

"They sure cut us a break with that," Paula hummed. "Maybe it just wasn't motivated enough to fight."

"I'm not complaining," replied Jeff. "After dealing with Belch, I'm not keen on the idea of getting any dirtier."

The Mr. Saturns were just as happy to see them as before once they returned, crowding around the trio and singing praises for no particular reason.

"YoU sTiNkY! HoT sPrInG cLeAn YoU oFf, BoInG!" several of them chanted.

They were guided back to the cough syrup-looking spring. Hesitant as Ness was to step into the stuff, he felt the odd creatures could be trusted and changed into the one bathing suit he packed behind a bush, while Jeff admitted that he didn't know how to swim and was content to dip his feet into the hot spring. Paula returned in a bathing suit of her own and plunged in headfirst. She came back up rubbing her forehead.

"Oww… okay, it's not as deep as it looks…"

Grinning, Ness joined her. They splashed each other (and Jeff, on occasion) for a bit until the Mr. Saturns returned bearing various snack foods and three cups of what they referred to as coffee. Ness had never drank it before, but he was fairly certain it wasn't supposed to be gray in color. Still, not wanting to be rude to their hosts, he took a sip of the warm liquid.

He felt himself go numb. The world blurred around him until he could see nothing but a gentle blue light pulsing before his eyes, and in that moment he knew peace.

* * *

 _You've traveled very far from home…_

 _Do you remember how your long and winding adventure began with someone pounding at your door?_

 _It was Pokey Minch, the worst person in your neighborhood, who knocked that fateful night. Destiny called, and you answered despite your own fears._

 _Along your way, you have walked, thought, and fought. While you have experienced the pain of battle time and time again, you have always kept your courage. Through your many experiences, you have steadily grown stronger in more ways than you might understand._

 _The fate of the world rests on your shoulders, but you no longer carry it alone. Paula, who is steadfast, kind, and even pretty, has been by your side. She has maintained trust in you no matter the situation, keeping you motivated in dire times._

 _Jeff is with you as well. Although he can be timid, he came to your rescue from a distant land. He put his faith in the hands of two complete strangers, knowing that he could rely on you and that you could rely on him._

 _Ness… as you certainly know by now, you are more than a regular young man. You have an awesome destiny to fulfill. Giygas, your enemy, remains at large, and should you fail to defeat him, all hope will be lost. Your journey to stop his sinister plans will be long and only become more difficult the further you go. Yet I know that somehow, you can find a way to succeed. When good battles evil, which side do you believe wins? Do you have faith that good is triumphant?_

 _You must never lose your courage. If you truly believe in yourself and your friends, then no goal is beyond your reach. There are many trials ahead, but each of you must keep your senses of humor and enjoy your time together._

 _When you finish this cup of coffee, your quest will resume. The next destination is the big city of Fourside, beyond the desert to the east of Threed. Go forth, and continue your adventure with your spirits held high._

 _Ness…_

 _Paula…_

 _Jeff…_

 _…_

 _I wish you luck…_

* * *

The Teleport Bomb brought Mr. Megane somewhere far from Threed, to the forward command center of the invasion force. He was greeted at the underground base's entrance by a slimy red creature with three eyes, one just above its toothy grin and the others on two long stalks sprouting from its head. It walked on a set of tentacles, slithering aside to grant him entry.

"Welcome back, Commander," it hissed. "You appear to have taken significant damage…"

He ignored it and walked past, proceeding deeper into the base. The whir of machinery filled the air, drowning out the constant whispers in his own head… the voices never stopped instructing him, telling him where to go, what to build, what to destroy… how long had it been like this? He didn't remember. All he could feel was the incessant migraine, and the anger radiating from its source.

Continuing on, he passed by more henchmen busy at work. They were putting the finishing touches on the base, and clearly they enjoyed the task. Very few even shot him a glance, not that it mattered much to the man. He made it to the deepest chamber, where the remains of a Junior-Class Starman were laid out on a table and overseen by a trio of the slimy creatures. More importantly, the only two people he was interested in seeing were there.

"You look terrible," one of them, a blonde woman dressed in black, noted upon seeing his ruined suit. "What happened?"

"Those kids are no pushovers," he grumbled. "Plus, they have a new member of their team. Jeff Andonuts, that student of mine I told you about."

"You're not getting sentimental, are you?" asked the other person he'd come to see, standing in the corner of the room with his arms folded.

He was roughly the same age as both of them, only a few years into adulthood. Unlike them, he didn't wear black clothing but rather a simple blue tee-shirt with light cargo shorts. The man's manner of dress was astonishingly casual compared to his professional suit and even their third friend's neat dress shirt. His eyes, partly hidden behind strands of his messy black hair, were just as red as theirs.

"Of course not," he shot back. "Even if I was, Master's orders can't be disobeyed. Speaking of which, that's why you called us here, isn't it? Has he decided to finally clue us in onto what he wants next?"

"We can only hope," his friend said. "Hold on, I feel him coming…"

His eyes squeezed shut and a cringe passed over him. The skin on his face turned a pale blue in color, as if he'd been stuck in the cold for hours. When he spoke, his voice was completely different to the soft tone beforehand

 **"** **My… aaargh… huuuurts… everything hurts…"**

"Master Giygas, are you okay?" Megane asked. "Your mentality's been in poor condition lately, do you need our help?"

 **"** **No… NO…"** he groaned through the body he was temporarily possessing from afar. **"** **You… cannot come near me again… I-I know you will cause unneeded complications, one way or another. The D-Devil's Machine is keeping me safe from harm, but it requires maintenance… have you completed your work on the parts I requested?"**

He nodded.

"I have. They've been sent to you through your minor henchmen, like usual. Are you sure I can't personally oversee the repairs of-"

Megane lurched back as he felt a strong blow to his stomach. The attack had come from nowhere, being telekinetic in nature, and while nothing had technically hit him it still left a sharp pain.

 **"** **NO. You will not ask me again."**

"Y-yes, Master. What of the children trying to stop you? I wasn't able to defeat them all together."

 **"** **Aaaaaargh! M-my head… the memories, they keep reappearing…"**

He bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything. Commander or not, if he stepped out of line he could easily have wound up dead.

"I… believe they're heading for Fourside next," he continued once Giygas's anguished moans had died down. "What do you have in mind for them?"

 **"** **My loyal s-s-servant is already there, preparing for their arrival… he informs me that his plan will undoubtedly crush their morale, and I have great confidence in his abilities."**

Another bite to his tongue. Not that he would ever speak out against his master, but frankly he thought the servant being referenced was the most incompetent, obnoxious person in the world. He wouldn't have trusted that boy to deliver a morning newspaper, let alone orchestrate the downfall of their greatest enemies. He himself and his two friends were each _leagues_ beyond him as far as experience went, so he simply couldn't understand the appeal.

 **"…** **however…"** Giygas continued, **"** **As a precaution, w-we must take further steps to defend the Sanctuary there. Ana."**

The blonde woman stepped closer to their friend being used as a mouthpiece. She had a cold, determined look in her eyes.

"Here, sir."

 **"** **Proceed to Fourside and watch over Magnet Hill in addition to the local creatures. My s-s-servant tells me the only way to access it is via a trail through the sewers… you and the guardian will monitor this entryway at all times… understood?"**

"What about us, Master?" Megane asked.

 **"** **You two…"** his voice cracked and grumbled. **"** **The pair of you are to remain in your current location to assist with the creation of our army. Your technical knowledge and his PSI abilities are invaluable for our purposes. Dismissed…"**

The fellow Commander's voice lost its raspy edge, and his face's color returned. He looked between them with a frown.

"Sometimes I just don't understand his thought process."

"You're the one he communes with," Megane retorted. "If anyone here should know what he's on about, it's you."

Ana was briskly stepping away from them, giving a halfhearted wave behind her back.

"I'm off to see what this Sanctuary guardian I'm working with is. If it's really in a sewer, I can already tell this'll be great."

"At least you aren't cooped up in here this time!" their friend yelled after her. "Well, let's get to work. We have to keep doing our part to ensure victory."

Megane could feel something in his head once again trying to convince him to stop, that this wasn't right, that he didn't really want to help Giygas. Although he wholeheartedly agreed, he wasn't given much of a choice, and the urge to rebel was crushed under another wave of malice.

 _"_ _Jeff Andonuts and his friends, following in our footsteps…"_

Those three had come a long way on their journey, and he and his two partners even further, but perhaps not in the right direction.

 **End of Part Three**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Fun fact, the Saturn Valley coffee break may be my favorite individual moment in the entire game. I can only hope I did it justice here, while also expanding on it a little (because you know how I roll!).

This story's come far too, hasn't it? I'm hoping I'll continue to entertain you, dear readers, as the adventure forges onward. Thank you for your continued support, and I'll see you next time when we begin Part Four!


	26. Dusty Dunes

**Author's Note:** And we return to the adventure! This story's been getting a lot of great feedback, so I'm more than delighted to keep the fun rolling! As of right now I've written as far ahead as Part Six with fifty chapters, so in case anyone's worried it'll someday be abandoned like so many other attempted novelizations unfortunately have, fear not! I'm sticking this through to the end.

But that's for later. On with the show!

* * *

 **Part Four: The Darker Side**

Chapter 26: Dusty Dunes

The Mr. Saturns allowed Ness and his friends to stay in their local inn free of charge for the night, even letting them use a phone to call home with. Come the next morning, the creatures saw them off in person, bouncing and singing for them until they left the valley and returned to Threed in the underground tunnel. To their delight, they emerged into a clear, sunny town on the other side. The heavy clouds overhead had completely vanished, as had the zombies and ghosts. Traffic was finally able to travel between there and Twoson, and the town was steadily returning to its normal routine.

"We saved the day again!" Paula cried as they shared a three-way high five.

"As weird as this has all been," Jeff added, "it was pretty fun being a hero! We have to go on to Fourside next, right?"

Ness recalled what his coffee-induced vision (he _still_ didn't know what exactly that had been) told him and nodded.

"Yeah, it's further east of here. There's a desert in the way, but with the buses running we'll have no problem at all."

Spirits high, they boarded the next bus out of Threed and were on their way in no time. Ness wondered how far his adventure would take him. Even after traveling miles and miles from home, he'd still only uncovered three of the eight Sanctuaries. Several questions remained, but most of all he pondered what his main enemy was doing at the moment. Where even _was_ Giygas? Buzz Buzz had said he may not have arrived yet, after all. Was he still in space, or had he finally made it to Earth and set up a base somewhere?

He realized they had a more immediate problem to deal with: the bus wasn't moving anymore. It came to a stop right in the middle of the road through the desert, stuck behind what must have been the longest traffic jam in history. Dozens of vehicles, bumper to bumper in the scorching heat, blared their horns at one another.

"You kids want to get off here?" called the bus driver. "I still have a schedule to run back in Threed, and it doesn't look like this traffic's clearing up any time soon."

As much as Ness didn't want to, there weren't many other options. They disembarked onto the hot asphalt and stared at the long road ahead. So many vehicles were crowded together that they couldn't even stay on the side of the road. If they were to continue, they'd need to take a different route through the desert itself. Resigned to the heat, the group began the long march across the sand.

"This… this is fine. A little walk in the sun never hurt anyone," Ness said in a vain attempt to motivate them.

"Speak for yourself," Jeff panted from behind him. "I don't think the temperature back in Winters ever reached a _quarter_ of this. It could even be bad enough to cause sunstroke."

Paula was stopping every few steps to brush sand off her clothes.

"Is that bad?" she asked.

"Really bad. If we don't get out of here soon or find a way to cool ourselves off, we'll basically have our insides fried."

Ness shivered- ironic, given the heat- at the idea. He cursed himself for not bringing more water bottles on his adventure in the first place, as they might have been useful in their predicament. The Dusty Dunes Desert stretched for several miles between Threed and Fourside, offering visitors nothing but the sight of endless yellow and orange sand, rock formations, and the occasional withered cactus. Very little was able to survive there, with only a few desert scorpions bothering to approach them at all. Even then, a halfhearted raise of Ness's bat was enough to scare them away.

"Guys, wait… I might have an idea…" Paula announced, short of breath.

She dug around in her own bag and pulled out three hand towels, casting PK Freeze on each of them until the melting ice had left them damp and cool. Each of the group's members took one, draping them over their foreheads.

"Good thinking," said Jeff. "This should at least protect us from heatstroke for a while."

Ness hugged his arms close to himself, trying to keep them out of the direct sunlight.

"I just hope we don't get burned."

"Well, well, we meet again!" came a man's voice from behind them.

Descending from the sky like he always did, the black-suited photographer touched down in the desert with the trio and whipped out his camera.

"United and determined, the chosen heroes continue their journey!" he crowed. "Will they be able to overcome this intense desert? _I_ sure can't, so say fuzzy pickles so I can leave already!"

None of them could work up the energy to pose for the camera, but clearly the photographer didn't mind at the moment. He snapped a picture and soared back into the sky, leaving them alone again.

"I wish he could've taken us with him," Ness grumbled. "Somehow I don't think he even has PSI, but for whatever reason he can fly around like a superhero…"

At another point they passed by something which, despite their initial assumptions, was not a mirage. It was a monkey sitting in the shade of the only tree they'd seen in over an hour, waving to them as they passed by.

"You told us you were with a monkey, right Jeff?" Paula asked. "Do you know what it wants?"

"Uh… no, I can't say I do. I couldn't understand the monkey I had too well."

"Oook! Hey, buddies! How's the heat treatin' you all?"

Okay, so maybe it could have been a mirage. Ness didn't even need to read its mind; it was talking in _very_ clear human tongue. Then again, a talking monkey wouldn't have been the strangest thing they'd encountered thus far.

"We're… doing fine…" he hesitantly answered, wiping sweat out of his eyes.

"You don't look too fine, but it's none of my monkey business," it chortled in a squeaky voice. "Did Talah Rama send you out here too?"

Ness looked back at his two friends, both of whom shrugged.

"Uh, no. We've never heard of that person."

"Oh, he's very wise!" the monkey exclaimed. "He lives out here in a desert cave, offering guidance to passersby and all my friends who stay there as well. Unfortunately he's fasting and in deep meditation right now, so you can't see him. Once he finishes up, though, be sure to come back and visit!"

He was already planning to shove the memory of a talking monkey out of his mind after they escaped the grueling desert walk. Not wanting to seem rude, however, he gave a brief thumbs-up as they kept going.

"I think we're almost there," Ness reported, despite having absolutely no idea if they were.

"Look! Is that an excavator?"

Jeff was squinting at something large further ahead. Once they got closer, Ness could see that he was right. A yellow construction vehicle was parked beside a very wide pit in the sand and stone, not far from a small wooden shack. As they approached, a man covered in dirt from his miner's gear to his gray stubble and wearing a hard hat flagged them down.

"You kids okay? It's pretty hot out, you shouldn't be hiking along like you are. Why not stop for a bit in our shack?"

Defying every childhood lesson about not accepting invitations from complete strangers (not that he hadn't already done so during his adventure), Ness practically charged inside with his friends on his heels. The man could be heard chuckling as he followed them into the tiny building.

"I can't blame ya for wanting out of this desert. Where're you headed?"

"Fourside," Paula responded first. "We came from Threed, but the bus got stuck behind a traffic jam."

"Ah, that. I think I know why: earlier there was this huge herd of buffalo crossing the road. And I mean _huge_ , it must've been a hundred."

Ness was so glad to be out of the sun that he didn't even bother to ask how animals covered in thick fur could possibly live in the desert.

"Anyway," the man continued, "I have some good news for you. Fourside is a little further ahead. This desert's the pits, so just tough it out a bit longer!"

"What are you doing here?" Jeff asked. "You seem to be trying to dig something up."

"Wah hah hah! Right you are, kid! My name's Gerardo Montague, and I'm digging for gold with my brother, George. He went back to the city to pick us up some lunch a little while ago. Actually… speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to have any food, would you? He's been gone a while, and I'm _starved!_ "

Thinking it was only fair to pay him back for the trouble of letting them stay, Ness looked inside his bag to see what he had. There wasn't much aside from his spare clothes, as they hadn't packed anything from Saturn Valley. His eyes landed on the only scrap of food they had: the cookie Tracy gave him the night he left. Somehow, throughout their adventure, it remained fresh and wasn't even broken.

"Here, you can have this," he said. "It isn't much, but we don't have anything else."

Gerardo accepted it with a smile.

"Ah, thanks a lot. Tell you what, I'm in a generous mood. If George and I find any gold, we'll let you have some of it for yourselves. Make sure you come back and check soon!"

Spurred on by the notion that their destination was just ahead, they exited the shack and charged onwards through the last part of the desert. After a half hour or so of walking, the group finally made it back to the now-clear road, and the tunnel just before them.

"We… we did it, guys…" Ness panted.

They were exhausted, hungry, and covered head to toe in sand, but they had made it. He felt a sudden warmth in his pocket, one that felt different than the general heat of the desert. Ness pulled out the Sound Stone to find it was pulsing in reaction to a nearby Sanctuary spot.

"N-no way!" he gasped. "I can't believe we're already this close! Come on, let's get moving!"

None of them realized it yet, but their good fortune wouldn't last for long.


	27. Grand Fourside Metropolis

Chapter 27: Grand Fourside Metropolis

Never in Ness's life had he felt so… _small._

Onett and Twoson were moderately sized towns, and Threed was much larger than both, but none of them could hold a candle to the sprawling city before them. The desert tunnel brought the group to a suspension bridge over a wide river, and even before entering Fourside proper he was amazed by the technological marvel. Jeff, who had more of an eye for this kind of thing, was practically drooling at the sight.

They passed through a great archway at the end of the bridge and found themselves amidst bustling streets, great multitudes of cars, and above all innumerable skyscrapers. Ness didn't even know buildings that tall existed, and here he was scurrying below them like an ant. The Sound Stone was glowing brighter, but at the moment he just wanted to take in more of the sights before continuing his adventure.

He led Paula and Jeff around the streets, feeling even more out of place with how much sand still clung to them. Their first order of business was finding somewhere to rest; they were all exhausted.

Fortunately for them, the search didn't take long. The Monotoli Grand Hotel, as it was called, offered them a room for the night at an _insane_ price which ate up nearly all of the reserve funds Ness's father had stored away for him. There was just enough money left to buy more food for the journey ahead, but until his next deposit he would have to spend carefully.

"Thank you for your service!" the overly-sincere man behind the front desk chirped, smiling through clenched teeth. "Best regards from Mr. Monotoli himself!"

"Who's that, the manager?" Ness asked.

"Oh no, he's the mayor of Fourside! He sprang up out of nowhere just the other day and took the city by storm. Now everyone looks up to him, like… h-heheheh… like he's the master of the world…"

Ness glanced at Paula and Jeff, finding they shared his suspicious expression. Already they could tell that something was off about this.

Nonetheless, they went to their room to shower and unwind a bit. What actually happened was they each showered then dropped onto their beds and fell asleep right there, in the middle of the day just after changing into fresh clothes.

* * *

 _"_ _Ness…"_

A psychic call again. He recognized the voice as the young man's from a few nights earlier, before it had changed into that demonic rasp. The figure itself didn't appear, leaving him in a black void.

 _"_ _Why… are you… here…?"_ he groaned, sounding just as pained as back then.

Wary of any kind of trick, Ness didn't answer.

 _"_ _You should have… just run, like I told you to… this place is e-evil, Ness… you won't make it through unscathed."_

 _"_ _I have a question,"_ he said slowly. _"Who are you? You never gave me your name last time. Are… are you Giygas?"_

No response, though the labored breathing could still be heard.

 _"_ _Well? Say something!"_

 _"_ _I… h-help me…"_

Before he could get any further information, the voice shifted into the same darker tone as it had in Happy Happy Village.

 _"…_ _I'm looking forward to drowning you in despair, Ness."_

* * *

He didn't even feel afraid when he woke up, it was more like a weary resignation. By then he was around fifty percent sure the voice _was_ Giygas trying to scare him, and he still had no idea what to make of it.

Paula and Jeff were awake not long after him, bringing his attention away from the dream. They set out to find the sun had already begun its descent in the late afternoon. Fourside wasn't any less busy, with the citizens still bustling around between vendors, parks, a museum, and even a theater playing host to a familiar jazz band.

"The Runaway Five's here!" Ness exclaimed, remembering that Gorgeous had mentioned playing in Fourside just before dropping them off in Threed.

"Really?" squealed Paula. "C'mon, let's go see them!"

They found that the Topolla Theater's security wasn't as lax as the Chaos Theater's back in Twoson. While Ness and Paula could get in using their backstage passes, Jeff was turned away at the door unless he paid for one of the _very_ expensive tickets. They couldn't afford to buy one, either.

"We'll… we can come back another time," Ness began, feeling bad for him. "Actually, no! I have a better idea."

He handed Jeff the pass, ignoring his wide-eyed protests.

"You guys go enjoy the show, I'm gonna find the Sanctuary while I'm here."

Paula looked at him with sad eyes.

"Are… are you sure? What if we don't get another chance to see them? Won't you need help with it? There might be something guarding the spot…"

"Don't worry about me! Besides, you two did all the work on the last one. I need to pull my own weight, you know?"

Neither of them seemed convinced, but Ness had already made up his mind. He walked away from the theater, pulling the Sound Stone out to continue his search. It led him further up the street, to a brick wall in a square behind the museum. The light was brighter than ever in the growing darkness, indicating that the Sanctuary- whatever it was- lay just behind the wall. He couldn't find a way inside, and the museum itself appeared to be closed for the evening, so his only option was to climb.

The smooth brickwork didn't have much in the way of footholds, but Ness refused to let that stop him. He wound up tying several of his spare clothes together into a rope and wrapping it around one of the spherical corner posts of the wall. After everything he'd been through, climbing a brick wall harness was hardly a challenge for him. No cave, no enemies, not even the photographer showed up to hinder his progress. It was without question the easiest- though probably least legal- thing he'd done so far. Still, nobody called him out for climbing over the wall that late at night, so he continued undaunted.

At last he made it to the top, where just below he could see a silver object glinting in the early moonlight. It was a mass of some metallic substance carved into numerous angular shapes, possibly an upcoming attraction for the museum. Ness descended the other side of the wall and stepped closer to it. Like the previous Sanctuaries, this one- labeled as Magnet Hill by a sign nearby- gave him a sensation of peace and comfort. He closed his eyes, catching a glimpse of another long forgotten memory. For just a moment he could see a baby's bottle, and a nostalgic feeling spread over him.

Something was different, though. While Magnet Hill emitted a short series of notes like the others had, they seemed disjointed and out of place. The sounds of Giant Step, Lilliput Steps, and Milky Well all played in sequence, then there was a short gap of silence before the new notes began.

 _"_ _Shoot. Did we miss one somewhere along the way? Don't tell me it was in the desert…"_

"W-w-what the heck?!" a high-pitched screech of a voice exclaimed from nearby.

Ness whirled around, already grasping the handle of his bat in anticipation of whatever was supposed to be guarding this Sanctuary. He felt his skin crawl when he locked eyes with a rat the size of a cow on the other end of the grassy yard. It was half-out of a manhole near the museum's back entrance, which had been barred up and sealed. The animal's gray-green fur reeked of sewage, and it was covered in flies. Its expression was stuck somewhere between anger and utter confusion.

"You- you're not supposed to get here yet!" the giant rat sputtered. "This is the fifth of your Sanctuaries! There was this whole sewer maze you had to go through, and I think you needed to do something about an autograph before you could do that… uh, Master Giygas was sort of vague on the details… a-anyway, get outta here until it's the right time!"

So they _had_ missed one. Ness didn't like the idea of having to search the desert- even though the Sound Stone hadn't at any point glowed to indicate a Sanctuary there- but he was admittedly surprised to have skipped the intended order. He couldn't appreciate it for long, because the rat noticed he'd already absorbed the Sanctuary's power and was advancing on him with its fangs bared.

"Maybe this is for the best," it hissed. "You're bound to not be strong enough to beat me. I'll take you out right now, while you're alone!"

Ness scrambled back up his impromptu rope and vaulted the wall just before the rat's teeth could catch one of his heels. He balled up his clothes, stuffing them into the bag again. Something about his narrow escape was immensely satisfying to him, likely because the rat was spitting furiously behind the wall.

"You little brat! You cheater! What sort of player's guide were you reading, anyway? I had a perfectly good sewer for you to adventure through after getting that autograph, and you wasted all my time!"

He didn't have a clue what it was talking about, but that hardly mattered to him. Besides, after going through Belch's factory he really didn't want to be anywhere near a sewer. He was about to return to the theater, but a different voice came from behind the wall before he got too far away.

"IDIOT!" someone roared. It was a woman, by the sound of it. "You were supposed to guard the Sanctuary!"

"I did!" protested the rat. "He just climbed over the wall, I didn't think he'd be able to! I set up all my minions in the sewers to stop him, but… no, no, no, you don't have to do that, Commander…!"

Ness's eyes widened when he felt a spike of PSI energy from near the rat. It was more powerful than he could comprehend, and he was in no hurry to stick around. As he sprinted away as fast as his legs would allow, he heard one final shout.

"PK BEAM: GAMMA!"

The rat gave a screech which was drowned out by the sound of a roaring blast. After a few seconds he could hear a light ringing noise, then all was silent again.


	28. A Favor for Five

Chapter 28: A Favor for Five

"Shaken" wasn't the right word to describe how Ness felt. He was _terrified_. Whoever had been behind the wall could use PSI on a level he couldn't even begin to fathom, and seemed to have destroyed the rat in just a single attack. More importantly, she had been trying to stop him from getting there. If that woman was another enemy of theirs, he knew that more than likely they would come to blows at some point. Would he even be strong enough to fight her?

Her voice rang in his ears a few more times, and he realized it was familiar to him. Though she hadn't spoken much, he felt certain that she had been the woman in black from Threed, who lured him and Paula into a trap. Ness was now very much aware of how lucky they'd been. She could have easily killed them both, had she and Mr. Megane not departed to speak to their leader first!

Speaking of Paula, she was waiting for him outside the Topolla Theater. Her face creased with worry when he approached, gasping for breath and still trembling.

"N-Ness? What happened?"

"Where… where's Jeff? I need to tell you guys something."

He didn't object when she led him inside by the hand.

"He's with the Runaway Five backstage. We got to see them again, after the show, and they gave us another pass for you."

The band was putting their instruments away for the night, but they all stopped to cheer for Ness when he and Paula entered.

"Our hero returns!" joked Gorgeous, still wearing his red suit and hat. "Shame you missed the show, but there's plenty of other chances to see us. We're… heh, we're kinda stuck here. The manager gave us a bad contract, just like last time."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ness replied once he'd caught his breath. "Can we help?"

Lucky rubbed behind his head.

"I doubt it, we're even deeper than before. Don't worry yourselves about us this time, you kids have done more than we could ever ask already."

Jeff walked over to them by the door, and the three huddled together at Ness's beckoning.

"Whoa, you look spooked," he noted. "Did you find the fourth Sanctuary?"

"Fifth, actually. We missed one somewhere, but I didn't sense anything in the desert… anyway, listen. The guardian wasn't expecting me, so I just claimed it and left before he could attack. But when I got away, I heard someone else there. I'm pretty sure it was the woman who captured us in Threed, and she was using PSI _way_ stronger than I've ever seen!"

Paula and Jeff both went a shade paler.

"You're… you're kidding…" murmured the latter. "Did she fight you?"

"No, I got away just before she arrived. She got really mad at the guardian and blew it up!"

"Then we should get out of here, right?" asked Jeff. "We have the Sanctuary, so we can leave before she shows up again."

Paula bit her lip.

"I don't know if we should… I really want to help the Runaway Five again, and that Monotoli person we heard about sounds kind of shady. He might be causing trouble here. Don't you think we need to figure out what he's up to?"

"The rat called that woman 'Commander,' so she must be important. If we can take her down, we'll have done a lot against Giygas's forces," Ness remarked.

"Wait, there was a talking rat?" asked Jeff.

"Oh yeah, one as big as a cow. It was the guardian I mentioned."

Paula shuddered.

"At least we don't have to fight that now… so, Ness, are we staying?"

He frowned, realizing that both she and Jeff were looking expectantly at him. When had he been appointed the leader?

Ness sighed after a moment.

"I guess so. We'll help these guys out and then see what the deal is with Mr. Monotoli."

They broke apart to find the Runaway Five casting them curious yet amused looks.

"You guys planning your next big play?" Lucky chortled.

"We're going to help you with your debt again," said Paula. "How much do you need?"

Gorgeous's shoulders slumped.

"About a million dollars, I'd say. Again, you really shouldn't worry about us. Unless you've got gold lining your pockets, we're stuck for a while."

Ness blinked at the mention of gold, and without even having to look at them he knew his friends were thinking the same thing as him.

"We'll get back to you on that soon," he promised, already racing out the door.

* * *

To their displeasure, the Dusty Dunes Desert wasn't any more tolerable at night. In the place of scorching heat came some of the lowest temperatures Ness had ever felt, and Paula wasn't doing much better. At one point on the walk back she even clung to him for warmth, shivering miserably. He might have found it embarrassing if he could feel his face.

"Huh. You guys okay?"

Jeff was having no trouble at all, and Ness wondered just how cold Winters had been for him to be so well adapted. Luckily, the return trip to Gerardo Montague's shack wasn't very long.

"Hey, fancy seeing you kids again!" he chuckled, waving to them from beside the excavator. He was standing with a similarly-dressed man with black hair visible under his hard hat, likely the brother he'd mentioned.

"You're just in time," Gerardo said. "George and I hit a huge tunnel system! There's bound to be tons of gold in there. Like I promised, you're free to take some of what we find. Except… we've kind of got a problem. There are five giant moles in the caves, and we can't continue our search with them in the way. Nearly ate us, to boot. You don't have repellant for moles the size of people, do you?"

Ness and Paula shared a grin.

"No, b-but we've dealt with one before," he managed to say through his chattering teeth. We'll take care of them for you."

Preparing themselves for a fight, they descended into the mine. The air was stagnant and saturated with dust, not helping the already limited visibility from whatever lamps Gerardo and George had left behind.

"They must really want that gold," Ness groaned, covering his mouth with his shirt. "This place sucks."

The first mole didn't take long to find, mostly because it came to them instead. It lumbered from the shadows of one of the winding tunnels, growling and standing on its hind legs like Mondo Mole had.

"Who dares enter our maze?" the gray-furred animal boomed. It was no surprise to any of them that it could speak. "You don't stand a chance against me, the third strongest master of this hole!"

Jeff opened with the first attack by firing a pale red laser from his pop gun at it. The mole stumbled, roaring from the hit to its stomach, and rushed at them claws-first.

"Since when could your gun do that?" Ness shouted, sidestepping and countering with a bat strike.

"I modified it earlier, while you two were still sleeping. Uh, I kind of only slept about an hour, really."

The mole skidded and fell on its face, after which Paula finished it off with a strong PK Freeze.

Ness turned to Jeff again, staring at the laser gun.

"What did you even do to make it- never mind, let's just keep going."

As it turned out, they didn't have to. A second mole's head burst out from one of the rocky walls, peering at them in the semidarkness.

"I thought I heard a commotion… hey! This ain't a mole-hunting spot! Who said you could kill Number Five? I'll just have to take you down myself. Get a taste of the third strongest mole!"

Frowning, Ness pointed at the corpse.

"Uh, that one said _he_ was the third strongest."

"No way!" the mole growled. "That's me you're talking about, runt!"

Despite what it said, it was barely any more difficult to defeat than the first. In fact, neither of them had been that much stronger than Mondo Mole from two Sanctuaries earlier. Before long, mole number three came into view and introduced itself as exactly that. Ness was beginning to sense a pattern.

It took them several hours to traverse the rest of the mine, but soon enough the group had eliminated all five moles- each of which claimed to be the third strongest. Ness was completely drained of PSI energy, as after a while he'd gotten impatient and just used PK Rockin' all over the place. In hindsight, Paula's scolding that he could have brought the tunnel down on them made sense, but in the moment he didn't care as much. Regardless, with all five moles dead they found their way back to the surface and to the early sunrise.

"Wait, the sun's coming up?" Jeff asked in bewilderment. "How long were we _in_ there? It was around eleven at night when we left Fourside…"

"All I know is I'm exhausted again," muttered Paula.

Gerardo and his brother emerged from their shack, looking down at them from the top of the mine's entrance.

"There you are! I was beginning to worry you kids had gotten lost. Are the moles gone?"

"Yep," Ness yawned. "You're good to go."

"Ha ha! You're somethin' else, really. You look dead tired, why not have a rest in our place while we dig?"

And before he knew it, they had conked out on one of the shack's beat-up mattresses.

* * *

 _"_ _Nesssssss…"_

 _"_ _Oh, shut up,"_ he snapped, cutting off the raspy voice before it could bother him again.

* * *

Ness sat up, rubbing his eyes. His sleep hadn't been interrupted beyond that, and frankly he didn't mind one bit. Jeff was awake too, working on some gadget in the corner of the room with his back to him.

"Did you sleep at all?" he asked.

"Of course I did. I got the necessary four hours, like usual. Right now I'm modifying some of my bottle rockets. Once Paula wakes up we can go back to Fourside with the diamond."

He looked down to find her sleeping on the opposite end of his bed. Ness felt the blood rush to his face and inched away to give her more room, though he didn't try to wake her up. The voice that spoke to him during the coffee break in Saturn Valley echoed faintly in his head.

 _"_ _Paula, who is steadfast, kind, and even pretty, has been by your side."_

Pretty? Yes… he supposed she was, with how peaceful she looked while asleep. The thought lasted only a moment in his head before he forced it back down. She and Jeff were two of the best friends he'd ever had, even if they hadn't been together for long. He didn't want to risk making things weird in their group, not while they had a world to save.

Hold on, what did Jeff just say?

"Diamond? What diamond?"

"Gerardo came in earlier with that," he said, pointing at a white, lumpy thing beside the bed. Ness's eyes bulged at the crystal, which was around the size of a baseball and partially translucent. "I estimate it'd be more than enough to pay the debt."

"He's really just giving this to us?" Ness asked, picking it up gently as if it could explode.

Jeff shrugged and turned back to his bottle rocket.

"Seems so. He said something about looking specifically for gold and told me we could have it."

"That's great!" he exclaimed. "We'll have the Runaway Five out of there in no time."

"Nnnnf…"

Paula had woken up, stirred by his sudden shout. She blinked and looked at the two with half-closed eyes.

"Morning… what've I missed…?"

Ness showed her the diamond, at which point she snapped fully awake.

"Whoa! Is that what we're using to pay off the band's debt?"

He nodded, grinning at how excited she looked. Once Jeff had finished his rocket, they were ready to leave. The trio set out for Fourside once again with a last wave goodbye to Gerardo and George.

"Time to help the Five run away!"


	29. The Rabbit Hole

Chapter 29: The Rabbit Hole

At Jeff's suggestion, Ness kept the diamond stowed away in his bag all the way back to the Topolla Theater. Carrying it out in the open was too risky, especially in such a large city. Even worse was the apparent lack of any police in the event of an emergency, as no officers could be seen patrolling the roads. Nobody caused them any trouble on the way, but Ness couldn't shake the feeling that something was sinister about Fourside under the surface. Newspaper kiosks they passed by universally praised Mr. Monotoli for his ambitions and leadership, further adding to his suspicions. He recalled how Carpainter had hypnotized Happy Happy Village and wondered if this was a similar case.

They entered the office of the theater's manager. She was a yellow-haired, bespectacled lady with a gaze that made him want to curl up into a ball and hide.

"What do you want? I'm busy," she barked when they walked in.

Ness took the diamond out of his bag and showed it to her.

"We'd like to break the Runaway Five's contract. Is this good enough?"

The manager sucked in air through her teeth, and her eyes bulged.

"That- that- that- that… y-you want to pay with… that diamond… fine! It's a deal!"

She snatched it out of his hand, rubbing her fingers across its glossy surface.

"You're lucky, this thing's probably worth fifty dollars at the most. But I'm feeling nice, so I'll let the band go as long as I can keep this little beauty… I have a new performer coming here anyway, so they can just scram for all I care!"

Ness rolled his eyes and left the office without another word. Paula, Jeff, and the Runaway Five were in the lobby, waiting for him.

"Good news, you guys are free!" he announced to unanimous cheers.

"I can't believe it, you really saved us again!" Gorgeous whooped. "You're officially VIP's for our performances from now on. Come on in, you get front-row seats for the show!"

And so they were led into the main hall of the theater, sitting just before the stage itself as more people crowded in around them. Ness was particularly excited, since he'd missed yesterday's performance. The lights dimmed, and Gorgeous shouted into a microphone from behind the curtains.

"Good mornin', Fourside! The Runaway Five's last show here in your very own Topolla Theater is ready to roll! Special thanks to three kids in the audience, of course! I hope you brought an extra pair of pants, 'cause you're gonna need 'em!"

The band launched into an even more spectacular performance than back in Twoson. Stage lights flared everywhere, the music was just as upbeat, and Paula and Jeff began to sing along with one of the songs from the last concert. Ness wasn't familiar with the lyrics, but he hardly cared given how much he enjoyed it.

At some point between songs, however, the six-member band (the driver had reappeared on stage with them, playing a keyboard) parted down the middle to allow someone else to take the spotlight.

"Here's a special guest, everyone!" chanted Lucky. "Give a warm welcome to the new star of Topolla! The angel herself, Venus!"

She was a slim, tall woman in a flowing black dress. Her long, golden hair hung freely behind her, and her face shone on the stage. A gasp rang across the crowd at her sudden arrival. Ness felt his heart race just by looking at her. Venus and the Runaway Five began the last song together, with her taking the lead vocals while Gorgeous and Lucky served as backup singers. He was completely transfixed by the performance, his eyes never leaving the stage until the curtains closed.

"Wow…" he murmured, feeling his heartbeat pound in his chest. "Was Venus with them yesterday?"

Jeff shook his head, his face just as flushed as Ness's.

"No, I was surprised too. She was really good, wasn't she?"

Paula didn't say anything. She had an odd expression, like she was disappointed by something. Come to think of it, Ness thought he'd seen her looking at him out of the corner of his eye during the show. Of course, he hadn't returned the glance because he'd been too busy watching…

"Let's go learn about Monotoli," she said shortly, getting out of her seat.

He and Jeff followed her back outside, where the Runaway Five were packing up their tour bus. Gorgeous waved them down as they passed.

"Hope you kids liked the show! We're done at this theater, but we aren't leaving Fourside just yet. Keep an eye out for us on the streets, yeah? We'll be seein' the sights for a bit!"

"Hey, do you know anything about the mayor here?" Ness asked. "Has he been to any of your shows?"

The red-suited musician frowned.

"Nope, I can't say he has. We've heard he spends a lot of time in some dive at the west corner of town, but nobody's sure why. Seems strange for a big-shot like him to be there so much. I think the place is called Jackie's Café, if you're interested."

They parted ways again, and the trio continued to navigate the busy streets. While Ness had planned to investigate Jackie's, they came upon a much more promising building in the center of the city first. It was the tallest skyscraper Fourside had to offer, towering above even the massive department store down the street. "Monotoli" was written in gold letters down the front as if it didn't draw enough attention already. Staring up at the building gave Ness a feeling of dread, though he couldn't put a finger on it.

"I guess this is the best place to start," he said after a while. "Who knows, maybe he'll be here himself."

The interior didn't help his uneasiness, as from the moment they walked in Ness felt like he was being watched. It was unnaturally quiet, even for the lobby of such a large building. Every step took more and more effort until he made it to an elevator at the far end of the room. With Paula and Jeff close behind, he stepped inside to find it empty save for an attendant.

"C… can we please go to Mr. Monotoli's office?" he asked, trying to fight back the inexplicable urge to run. "We're, um, doing a school project and were hoping we could interview him."

The attendant, none the wiser, gave him a sweet smile.

"His office is on the 48th floor, but it's off-limits to the public. I can bring you to the floor just below it, and maybe someone there can arrange a meeting for you."

"T-thanks," he sighed as she pressed the button.

Ness felt his legs tremble when the elevator shot up the building. He still couldn't explain the feeling of fear; it was like the skyscraper itself was preying on him. Paula and Jeff were quiet until they finally made it to the 47th floor and stepped out into a hallway with elegant yellow carpeting. Two burly-looking bodyguards dressed black suits approached them with unamused expressions on their faces.

"U-u-um… is Mr. Monotoli here? We need to… to interview him…" Ness stammered.

"We'll see about that," one of them, wearing red-tinted sunglasses, grunted. "You'll have to speak to his assistant first. Come this way."

They trudged down the hall to a fancy wooden door, whereupon the guard in front knocked and announced his presence.

"I'm coming in with guests, sir! They're here to see Mr. Monotoli, so I figured you should meet them first."

"Ugh, whatever!" came a muffled reply from inside. The tone was higher-pitched than Ness had expected. "Just let 'em in already so they don't waste too much of my time!"

He felt his heart stop dead in its tracks. He knew that voice.

Lounging on an ornate couch colored the same as its golden, extravagant surroundings was none other than his neighbor, Pokey Minch. His blond bowl cut still hung over his eyes, but aside from that he wasn't at all dressed in his usual manner. He wore a professional suit, maroon with gray vertical stripes (that did little to hide how chubby he was) and a neat pair of dark dress pants, complete with black shoes. Pokey straightened his red tie, only to snort with laughter when he and Ness locked eyes.

"Oh…! OH! Well, check it out! I remember you… what was your name again? Pig's Butt, or something like that…"

He didn't acknowledge the insult, mostly because of his shock. Why, of all people, was his neighbor in such a position? Was he _seriously_ the mayor's assistant?

"No, I've got it! Your name's Ness!" he continued, chortling to himself. "What a surprise to see you here. Come to beg me for some money, did you? You can shove off if that's the case!"

"P-Pokey… what're you doing here?" Ness finally worked up the nerve to ask.

"That's _Master_ Pokey. Out of the loop, old buddy? I'm Geldegarde Monotoli's partner! While you were out on your little adventure, I've been giving him political and economic advice. Speaking of which, how's that coming along? Have you saved the world yet?"

Pokey didn't give him a chance to reply, instead just snorting again.

"Ah, I make myself laugh sometimes. By the way, didn't you have that bug from the meteorite with you? Where's he?"

Ness clenched a fist.

"He… he died fighting one of Giygas's minions… we were in Giant Step at the time."

To his shock, his neighbor roared with piglike laughter. He could practically feel his blood boiling.

"That's _it?!_ You barely even made it out of your house and already you lost your partner!"

Pokey crossed his feet and put his hands behind his head, smirking when his eyes traced onto Paula and Jeff.

"And who are these chumps supposed to be? I recognize the girl… and glasses over here looks even more pathetic than both of you combined. Bwahahah! Don't tell me this is the best help you could get!"

Ness felt PSI energy course through him. It took every fiber of his willpower not to snap and throttle Pokey right there.

"Don't… don't you _dare_ talk about my friends like that…"

"This is adorable! I guess even losers have to stick up for each other. You two hear that? Ness thinks he's big and bad now that he's got you! Ooh, are you showing off in front of your girlfriend~?"

A hand rested on Ness's shoulder, but he barely noticed. Somewhere in his head, he could hear a faint voice telling him to strike. _Make him pay._ **_Don't let him get away with saying those awful things._**

 ** _FINISH HIM OFF._**

 _"_ _Ness!"_ someone hissed into his ear. "Snap out of it!"

He blinked, and all at once the voice was gone. Paula hadn't taken her hand off him, staring into his eyes with a half concerned and half frightened expression.

"You seeing things, Pig's Butt?" Pokey howled. "You were just staring into space for a second! Good thing your girlfriend was around to keep you focused, I'm sure you wouldn't have gotten anywhere without her!"

"Shut up!"

Jeff was standing behind them, looking downcast and not speaking up against Pokey, but Paula took more of a stand than even Ness did. She stomped closer to his couch and grabbed him by the front of his suit.

"You don't deserve to say _anything_ bad about him! He's trying to save the world, while you're just lazing around!"

"G-get her outta here!" Pokey stammered. "Get them ALL out!"

His bodyguards roughly grabbed each of them by the shoulder and marched the trio out of his room to the elevator. They were escorted to the lobby, then unceremoniously tossed out the front door. The one in red sunglasses stared after them for a moment before disappearing back inside.

"Oof… I might have overdone it," Paula groaned once she'd gotten back up.

Ness chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, I didn't want to be there any longer either. He was really getting on my nerves."

To their right, Jeff stood up and rubbed his backside from where he'd landed.

"S-sorry, I was totally useless in there…"

"It's fine!" Ness insisted. "Honestly, I shouldn't have let what he said get to me. Pokey's always been a jerk, even when we used to hang out a lot."

Paula grumbled, crossing her arms.

"I can't believe you had to put up with him for so long. Now that we can't go in Monotoli's building, how are we going to find him?"

"We can try Jackie's," Jeff suggested. "The Runaway Five said he goes there a lot, right?"

Ness could tell that their morale had diminished quite a bit, and they needed a break from the investigation.

"Why don't we go to the store first?" he asked. "Maybe we can grab a bite to eat."

To his satisfaction, they both agreed. He led them down the road to Fourside Grand Department Store, which had been closed for renovations when they first arrived but was now open for business once again. The building was around the same size as Twoson's mall, containing multiple floors of too many shops to count.

"Whoa…" murmured Jeff. "We didn't have anything like this for miles back in Winters."

Paula giggled as they walked toward the escalator.

"Great, isn't it? Even Twoson's store doesn't have this much stuff."

They barely had ten seconds to appreciate their surroundings. Ness had just noticed how empty the bottom floor of the building was- they were completely alone- before all of the lights flickered and died out. He heard a frightened cry, then something barged into him from behind.

"H-h-hey!"

The sound of struggling reached his ears, making him bolt upright form where he'd landed on the floor. Jeff had been thrown a few feet away, losing his glasses in the process. That didn't concern Ness as much as Paula's situation. She was wrapped in the slimy grip of some green-skinned alien creature with an eye in the center of its body and two more on long stalks from the top. The thing flashed a toothy grin at him for just a moment before speeding away up the escalators, still clutching Paula in its tentacles. The sight of her horrified expression was burned into Ness's eyes. Finally he got back to his feet, aching from the sneak attack but not letting that stop him.

"What just happened?" asked Jeff once he'd found his glasses.

"Something just grabbed Paula!" he yelled over his shoulder, already sprinting in pursuit. "It went upstairs, come on! We can corner it to save her!"

Ness didn't bother waiting for him. He charged up the escalator three steps at a time, his heart racing at the thought of something happening to Paula if he wasn't fast enough.

"Customer Ness?" announced a female voice over the intercom. "Would customer Ness from Onett please come to the top floor's office? We believe you've lost something important, and are holding it here for you. Be advised that if you take too long, we'll unfortunately have to relocate it."

Nothing was there to obstruct him- not even any other customers- but he still felt like he was running out of time. He reached the fourth story and laid his eyes on a lone wooden door beyond the empty kiosks. Already gripping his bat, Ness burst through it into the office with a furious snarl.

Paula wasn't there, and neither was the monster that had kidnapped her. A window on the back wall sat half open, the sunlight from outside being the only source of visibility in the pitch-black room. He wasn't the only occupant, though: sitting behind the desk with her feet propped up was the same woman from Threed, a very small grin visible on her lips as she removed her sunglasses to stare at him with her cold, red eyes. She was still wearing dark clothing, making her somewhat hard to see.

"Welcome. I'm afraid your 'something important' isn't here anymore."

 _"_ _Paula…"_

Ness could feel himself shaking, his fists clutching the handle of his bat as he and the woman stared each other down. The reality that he'd been too late to save his friend bored a hole through his heart.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"I don't know, it wasn't my idea to kidnap her. The only reason I'm here is because you reached the Sanctuary under my nose. That stupid kid told me it could only be accessed through the sewers… ugh, I don't know what Master Giygas sees in him."

He hardly cared about what she had to say at the moment. The woman got out of the chair and flexed her fingers, psychic energy coursing through her open palms.

"I'll give him credit for one thing: he must have been right when he said taking away your friend would break your morale. I can _feel_ the despair in you."

Ness had heard enough. He snarled at her and lunged with his bat raised, any lingering fear from her show of power against the rat vaporizing within him. Narrowing her eyes, she pointed two fingers in his direction.

"PK Beam: Gamma."

A thin yellow blast streaked toward him, forcing Ness into a sideways roll before it could pierce his chest. He recalled that technique instantly destroying the giant rat, and could only wonder what it would do to him.

"PK Rockin': Beta!"

His own technique scorched the air around them, purple beams of light converging on the woman from every direction. At the last second she threw her hands to either side of her and shouted another ability.

"PSI Shield: Alpha!"

Ness remembered Paula mentioning she had the same move, as well as Buzz Buzz. The barrier absorbed all of the energy from his attack, breaking in the process but otherwise leaving the woman unharmed. She countered with PK Freeze, again one of Paula's techniques, and sent him crashing against a wall of the office.

Jeff had finally caught up and joined the fray, firing on their opponent with his laser gun. She leaped away from the desk and began to cast another ability, but Ness cut her off with a second PK Rockin'. Unable to dodge their combined attacks, she was blown back to the corner of the room.

"Hmph. PK Fire: Gamma!"

Both of them were pushed away by the wave of flames she unleashed from her hands. By some miracle neither of the two suffered any major burns, but she was on her feet again and ready to continue her assault.

"Lloyd was right, you _are_ stronger than you seem."

"PK Flash: Alpha!" Ness yelled from the floor. Without her sunglasses she couldn't protect herself from the blinding light, and she squeezed her eyes shut with a groan of pain.

"P-PSI Healing…" she began.

"No you don't!" Jeff cried.

He took the opportunity to fire a bottle rocket, which exploded just a few feet away from her. The woman crashed against the office's window and stumbled onto her knees. Just like she had in Threed, she gripped at her forehead, suffering some kind of migraine.

"Ugh… what… what am I doing…?"

Ness approached, gripping his bat. The only thing on his mind was finding where his friend had gone.

 _"_ _Even if it means beating the information out of her…"_

"Talk!" he barked. "Where's Paula?!"

"I'm… I need help…" she whimpered.

Growling, he raised the bat above her head.

"WHERE IS SHE?! BRING HER BACK OR I'M GOING TO…!"

"N-Ness, hold on!" Jeff shouted from behind him. "We already beat her, stop!"

He glanced back at him and felt his senses return. What had gotten into him just then? Ness was mad, furious even, but had he really been about to kill the woman?

"Ness… you're Ness, right…?"

She was looking up at him from her knees. Interestingly, her eyes began to flicker between the usual red and a pale blue. Her voice was softer, and without the same cold lack of emotion as before, but sounded like she was in pain.

"I don't know where your friend exactly is, but… if I had to guess, she's with Monotoli and that boy. They must have ordered her kidnapping. Y-you have to go, I don't have long before the influence takes over again…"

Ness tried to clear his senses from the battle.

"Who are you, anyway? Is Giygas controlling you, like all the other people and monsters we've faced?"

She nodded, still rubbing her temples.

"Oh… y-yes. My name is Ana… I'm a friend of Lloyd's, and we… we need help. There's something in this city keeping Monotoli in power. Find it, destroy it… ugh…"

Ana's ramblings faded as the red in her eyes took over again. She glared daggers at him and Jeff before muttering one last ability.

"PSI Teleport: Alpha."

The woman jumped backwards out the window, plummeting toward the street several dozen yards below. Ness looked out and saw her disappear in a blink of blue light just before she could hit the ground, then all was quiet.

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **Third Commander of Giygas's Army: Ana**

"If you don't stay on your toes, she'll overwhelm you in a second. Her PK Beam is as deadly as it gets, watch out for it!"


	30. Demons Inside

Chapter 30: Demons Inside

The department store's lights were still off and the building was no less empty than before, allowing Ness and Jeff to leave without interruption. Neither of them questioned how such a large store would have no customers inside in the middle of the day, since their friend's whereabouts were the top priority.

"That woman said Paula could be with Monotoli…" Jeff mumbled. "She also mentioned a boy, and I'll bet anything she was referring to your neighbor."

"I can't imagine anyone else. Still, if she's working for Giygas, does that mean Pokey is too? It doesn't seem…"

Ness's voice trailed off, then his expression darkened.

"…actually, it makes _perfect_ sense. Someone as rotten as him would've fallen under his control easily. I just don't know how much influence he has in Giygas's plans. If… if he hurts Paula, I'm going to…"

His train of thought was interrupted by a piercing scream not far from them. They rounded a corner and hurried down the street to where a small crowd had already formed by an alley. Ness managed to make his way through them and came upon the figure of a man wearing an orange shirt and a black bowler hat, with broken sunglasses dangling off his face.

"E-Everdred?!"

The boss of Twoson's Burglin Park lay twitching on the ground, a deep gash visible through his chest and lower stomach. Blood flowed freely from his wound, pooling around him as he wheezed and groaned. Ness felt like he was about to be sick, while Jeff had gone unnaturally still and quiet.

"Oh… k-kid… y-y-you're the boy who saved Paula, right…? Everything's blurry, I can't…"

"It's me, Everdred! I'm Ness!"

"Heh, I knew it," he chuckled between agonized gasps. "Listen closely, there isn't much time… something's wrong about this city. Do you remember the Happy Happyists…? Carpainter, their leader, had a golden statue that hypnotized the whole town."

He was already connecting the dots. The Mani Mani, as it had been called, was the same statue Lier X. Agerate had dug up near his home back in Onett. Ness remembered feeling the urge to take it for himself when he first saw it, and again when he confronted Carpainter. There was no doubt something evil resonated from the statue. Could it have been the source of Monotoli's power in Fourside, like Ana had told him?

"That statue… it's _here_ ," Everdred coughed. "I'm not sure how I found it, the thing just pulled me in its direction. When I tried to steal it, I got attacked… Ness, you need to destroy the statue for good. It's… ugh… Jackie's Café, check behind the counter…"

Ness hadn't bothered using Lifeup to heal him, but not out of spite. As much as he wanted to, there was something in his head telling him to let Everdred die. With him out of the picture, there would be one less person to stop him from claiming the Mani Mani as his own… if Jeff got in the way, then-

 _"_ _NO! What am I doing?!"_ he thought, horrified.

The subtle whisper in his mind had plagued him through most of their time in Fourside, and now he knew the source. He _had_ to get rid of it immediately!

Everdred shakily got to his feet and began to stumble away, proceeding further up the street despite his grievous injury. Various members of the crowd gasped and whispered to each other.

"Wait!" Ness cried. "D-don't you need help?"

"I'm fine, kid," the man said back. "I've got to be on my way now. Here's a haiku for your troubles:

 _When on your way out_

 _Be sure that you say goodbye_

 _Then lock the door tight_."

Blood-soaked and still gasping for breath, Everdred disappeared around another corner and was gone. Ness, though he didn't know for sure at the time, would never see him again.

"This… this is so messed up," Jeff whispered, his face pale. "Let's go deal with that statue."

They found Jackie's Café not far from there and entered cautiously. It had a few patrons lounging in the wooden chairs, but none of them were doing anything besides staring straight ahead, unblinking. The very air pulsed with some dark energy that made Ness's skin crawl, and he knew that the Mani Mani was close. He could feel a rumble somewhere behind the deep blue wallpaper.

"Good afternoon, boys," said a red-suited man with an eyepatch behind the counter. "What'll you be having?"

His good eye, unblinking, followed their every movement.

"We're just going to look around for a second," Ness replied, trying not to seem suspicious. "Um, do you have a bathroom?"

"Right over there, in the corner."

He noticed Jeff trying to creep around him to investigate behind the counter like Everdred had told them to. In a bid to buy him more time, he played dumb.

"I, uh, can't see it. Is it this door right here?"

The barista didn't say anything, but his eye was trained on Ness the whole time. He stood in awkward silence while his friend got closer to the back wall.

"I see…" the man hissed after a moment. "You'll be having today's special, then…"

In a flash he lunged for Jeff, brandishing a bloodstained knife from a hidden pocket in his clothes. Ness was faster, though, and smashed his bat against his face mid-charge. The barista collapsed to the floor in a heap, his knife clattering on the tiles and throwing red flecks everywhere. None of the customers reacted in the slightest.

"That must've been how Everdred got attacked," he sighed, lowering the bat once he was sure their enemy was out cold. "Let's just get this over with quickly."

"If that statue's as powerful as I've heard," said Jeff, "we'll need to be careful. It might try all kinds of tricks to keep us from damaging it."

Nodding, Ness felt along the wall behind the counter for a hidden lever or handle. His fingers eventually caught on something in one of the shelves, a switch by the feel of it, concealed by a jar of coffee beans. Intrigued, he flipped it to the other side to find out what it was hiding.

A splitting headache struck him, and the world disappeared before his eyes.

* * *

"Ah… your name is Paula, no?"

Her eyes opened, the surroundings little more than a yellow blur until her vision cleared up. Had she been knocked out? The last thing she could recall was standing in the department store with Ness and Jeff, then the lights went out and something grabbed her. They sped upstairs, and she thought they had gone into an office, but that was as far as she remembered. Where was she now? Who was this old man talking to her?

"Can you hear me?" he asked again.

Even though she had been seated on a chair, the man barely surpassed her height anyway. His face, covered in wrinkles, was contorted into a half-sneer behind his round nose. Gray, wiry hair covered his head and partially hung over the man's dark brown eyes. He wore a simple blue suit with a matching tie, and his head was covered by a green trilby.

"W-who are you?" she squeaked once she'd taken in her surroundings. She was in an office, sitting beside an oak desk covered in papers. Gold-colored furnishings were strewn about the large room, along with multiple photographs and documents hung on the walls.

"Surely you've heard of me," the man chuckled. "I'm the mayor of this city, Geldegarde Monotoli. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a while now. Word has it that three little kids have been seeking to undermine my power."

Paula jumped to her feet, only to be forced back into the chair by a green tendril. The alien creature which had kidnapped her was standing just a few feet away, still cackling to itself.

"Don't be so hasty," Monotoli continued. "You're not going anywhere. That boy's anger, his sadness… hmhmhm, I may not have the same powers as you, but I can _feel_ everything he's experienced at your loss. Do you feel it too?"

"Ness…? W-where is he?! What have you done to him?" she demanded.

"Nothing yet, my dear. He and your other friend are seeking a way to destroy me, but without you their morale has splintered. Now they're desperate to find you…"

Paula crossed her arms and glowered at him.

"So… what did you bring me here for?"

"You'll have to ask Master Pokey, it was his idea. He's been such a big help, even bringing me that statue…"

Monotoli's face quivered and he rubbed his forehead with a moan. It looked like he was suffering the same headache Mr. Megane and the woman in Threed had both felt. Was he being manipulated too?

"S-sir, are you okay?" she asked, putting on a kinder expression.

"No… I-I don't want this, please… let me go…"

"You must not be a bad man after all," Paula said. "I can feel it… so, fight this evil!"

"NO!"

Monotoli slammed a fist onto his desk, and the sinister look on his face returned. The alien continued to chuckle.

"Right now, Ness is set to enter Master Pokey's trap. He's been driven by despair to find you, and soon he shall be swallowed whole by his own madness!"

A weight settled in her stomach, and she clasped her hands together for a silent prayer to her guardian angel.

 _"_ _Please… wherever Ness and Jeff are, let them be safe. I don't care what happens to me, but save them if you can!"_

There was no reply.


	31. The Dark of Moonside

Chapter 31: The Dark of Moonside

Ness let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. Gasping for air and with a chilled feeling running through his body, he tried to process what had just happened. Or, rather, what might still have been happening.

He couldn't quite describe where he was. The café had disappeared before his eyes, yet at the same time he'd remained in the corner of the room. Everything was an inky black void around him, illuminated by neon-looking lights of various colors which seemed to form outlines of the building's interior. Chairs, the counter, the support beams, and the various items inside the café were traced in bright shades of red, green, blue, and a bit of yellow. The only exceptions were himself and the other people there, who for all intents and purposes looked normal. Unlike before, they sipped their drinks and chatted with each other as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Ugh… you okay, Ness?"

Jeff was getting up from the floor, wiping the lenses of his glasses. He didn't seem hurt, thankfully, but his expression was just as confused as Ness's own.

"I think so. What is this place?"

Ness tried to find the same switch from before, but the wall disappeared into a featureless void as if preventing him from discovering a way out.

"Hey, are you kids lost?"

The barista from before called out to them, standing in the middle of the room by a table with more patrons. He had an unfocused look in his one good eye, which seemed incredibly bloodshot. In fact, on closer inspection all of the other people there had the same eyes.

"Uh… yes, sir. Where are we?" Ness asked.

"Hm? You just said you aren't lost, why'd you ask where you are?"

What? That didn't make any sense. He tried again; perhaps the man hadn't heard him clearly.

"I said _yes_ , we _are_ lost. What is this place?"

"Stop contradicting yourself," came the irritated reply. "But to answer your question, you're in Moonside! Just like normal."

Ness decided he wasn't in a hurry to sightsee.

"How do we get back to Fourside from here?"

"Beats me."

He sighed. This was getting tedious.

" _Can_ we get back?"

"No."

A sense of dread came over him, but before he really began to panic Jeff grabbed his arm, dragging him along to the door.

"Let's just go outside, I'm sure someone else will help us."

"You should lose that downer attitude!" called the barista as they left.

Everything was just as pitch black as the interior of the café. The sky and ground below their feet shared the same color, and with every step Ness thought he was about to fall into nothingness. Only the neon-lit outlines of the sidewalk and buildings gave him any sense of direction, his one solace being the silvery moon hanging low above the city. For as large as it was, its peaceful glow offered some comfort against the twisted surroundings.

The citizens walking the streets of Moonside weren't much better than those inside the café. All of them shambled around like Threed's zombies, but with bleary-eyed smiles. One man in a black suit and fedora approached, grinning at the pair.

"Oh! Mani Mani! Hahaha, you're Mani Mani. I'm Mani Mani."

It was a start, even if a strange one.

"Uh… yeah, I'm Mani Mani," Ness replied. "Do you know where the _statue_ named Mani Mani is?"

"I don't!" he chuckled. "It's not in the center of town near that big Monotoli skyscraper."

Jeff quietly gasped behind him, like he'd just thought of something.

"Wait a minute… excuse me, sir? Can you tell me if I'm wearing glasses right now?"

"No, of course you aren't. Have fun! Welcome to Moonside, comewel to sidemoon, comeside mo twelnoon, demoon sin side…"

The man shuffled away, leaving them alone once more.

"I think I get it," Jeff said. "To these people, 'yes' and 'no' are reversed. Really, everything about this place seems backwards. It's like a shadow Fourside."

"Which means the Mani Mani _is_ by the Monotoli building, right? Let's go find it!"

That proved easier said than done, as the very layout of the streets would shift every time they reached a corner. They found themselves at various points in front of the Topolla Theater, the department store, the hotel, the hospital, and right back to Jackie's Café. The moon remained perpetually in the sky even after what felt like hours of walking, and they had gotten nowhere.

"Psst! Hey, boys! You wanna get to Mani Mani?"

A middle-aged man dressed like a sailor was whispering to them from an alley corner. While Ness was in no hurry to rely on anyone there, he'd long since run out of ideas on how to proceed.

"Y- I mean _no_ , we don't."

The sailor laughed, stroking his thick beard.

"You came to the right person. I know a shortcut, y'know. A shortcut… if you can get to me again!"

With a snap of his fingers, he- and the rest of the street around him- vanished as the city's layout shuffled again. Ness felt the ground disappear beneath his feet, and he fell through empty air for a moment before landing hard in a body of shallow water. For the first time since they'd arrived in Moonside he detected a smell in the air, albeit an unbearably bad one: sewage.

"Ugh," Jeff groaned. "I'm surprised this place even has a sewer. Let's find the way out of here."

The tunnel stretched as far as Ness's eyes could see in one direction, and behind them there was only a grate to block their way. Just like the rest of the city, everything in the sewer was lined in neon lights. Even the dirty water shimmered red as they sloshed through it, any noise they made being absorbed by Moonside's perpetual darkness.

"Jeff…" he said after a while, if only to break the silence. "What if we can't do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if we can't get out of here. Or save Paula, or beat Giygas. What if we're not good enough? What if _I'm_ not good enough?"

Ness looked straight at the water, the voice in his head having grown to a more pronounced volume from the whisper it had been earlier. It was taunting him now, telling him that no matter how hard he tried he could never be the hero Buzz Buzz had expected. He, and his entire adventure by extension, was hopeless.

"H-hey, don't say things like that," Jeff replied. "You can't let this place get to you…"

He didn't listen, tuning him out as he continued.

"I'm just a kid, why was I chosen to be the hero? Why do you and Paula still follow me, when everything out there's trying to kill us? I can't save the world, I just can't…"

 _"_ _Ness! Shut up!"_

He'd never heard Jeff sound mad before, and it actually made him jump. As the shout sank deeper in, though, Ness realized that mad wasn't the right word. Forceful, commanding even, but there was no trace of malice in his voice. Jeff was staring at him, his eyes firm behind his glasses.

"I… I can see you're scared," he said. "Actually, I still find it difficult to believe. Since I met you, you've been one of the strongest people I've ever known. I decided I wanted to follow you, and that's when I realized I was outclassed. You and Paula… well, you're both way better than me. You've got your PSI, and far more experience to boot."

Ness sniffed back, trying not to meet his gaze.

"I don't have either," Jeff continued, "and yet I've never felt insecure about being with you two. You've inspired me to keep doing my best, no matter how dangerous things have gotten."

When he finally worked up the nerve to look at him, Ness realized that Jeff's face had a tinge of pink, and he scratched behind his head.

"Heh… I guess just having great friends like you and Paula was enough to motivate me. That's why I still trust you to lead us on, even though we're in a bad spot right now."

Ness felt a tug at the corners of his mouth, and within moments he was smiling again. He wiped his eyes as the voice in his head diminished.

"That really helped, thanks… but you're wrong about something. I'm not a leader, not for our group."

"What are you-"

"I'm not a leader," he repeated, cutting Jeff off, "because I don't want to be. You, me, Paula… we're a team. Sure, I'm the one with the Sound Stone and the Sanctuaries all react to me, but I'd never have made it this far by myself. You guys are just as important as far as I'm concerned."

"H-hey, come on…" his friend chuckled, blushing deeper.

 _"_ _How touching~!"_

They both spun around, weapons drawn, to face the raspy voice which had spoken from behind them. Ness only had a second to wonder how the unexpected guest could have snuck up through the water without them hearing before they found themselves under attack. A dark gray blur launched in their direction from the shadows of the tunnel, separating them with a spray of the red sewage.

It was an enormous rat- the same one which had been guarding Magnet Hill, by the looks of it. The creature's eyes were unfocused and tinted red like everyone else in Moonside, but it appeared more cognizant than the humans they'd met. It locked its gaze onto Ness and hissed.

 _"_ _There you are, boy! Hee hee heeeee… this time you won't be escaping!"_

"Is that the thing you snuck past?" Jeff asked, looking rather disgusted at the rat.

Ness didn't immediately respond, instead casting PSI Paralysis onto it. They kept running while it was slowed down, though the sewer never seemed to end.

"That was it, yeah. But I thought Ana killed it… wait! If it's here, does that mean we're dead too?"

"I don't think so," said Jeff. "I don't even know what would've done us in. I think what's really going on is the Mani Mani's making some kind of illusion for us."

The rat could be heard roaring angrily somewhere further back.

"Ness! I have an idea, keep your head down!"

He did as requested, ducking as Jeff fired a large bottle rocket at the sewer's roof. The concrete- or whatever material Moonside's roads were made of- shattered apart in a fine gray dust, leaving a hole above them to escape through. Ness boosted him to reach it, and Jeff in turn pulled him out of the sewer just before the rat caught up. At the last second it snapped at his heels, barely missing him. The hole was too small for it to pursue them, not that it didn't try.

 _"_ _Curse you! Curse you, human! When will Plague Rat of Doom get his time to shine?!"_

"Hopefully never," Ness said shortly as they walked away.

With how twisted Moonside was, he admittedly felt surprised that Jeff's idea had even worked. He half expected it to reshuffle the streets to further confuse them, but after just a few minutes of walking they were back at the alley with the sailor.

"Ohhh… lookie here, you made it back. A promise is a promise, I'll deliver you to the Mani Mani. Deliver… your heads at least!"

The man lunged for them, but Ness was ready this time. He pointed at him and uttered a single ability.

"PSI Hypnosis: Alpha."

It succeeded in putting him to sleep, though not without an unexpected effect. A _ferocious_ pain ripped through his forehead, like something was crushing it, and he heard a familiar voice. Not the subtle taunt he'd heard throughout Fourside, but the same garbled sound that had interrupted his sleep numerous times.

 ** _"_ _NESS! I CAN SEE YOU! COME, COME TO ME!"_**

The headache died down, leaving him teary-eyed but still determined to continue on. With Jeff close behind, he proceeded down the alley the sailor had been guarding and came to Moonside's equivalent of the Monotoli building, neon-lit like the rest of the city. More importantly, they found what they'd been looking for: the golden Mani Mani statue, its glowing red eyes leering at them. Just looking at the statue sent a chill down Ness's spine.

"It's made me think evil things before… just ignore whatever it tells you," he whispered to Jeff.

"R-right. Let's get this over with."

As they approached, they spotted another person near the statue. He looked very old given his gray hair and frail limbs, kneeling in front of the Mani Mani and sobbing quietly.

"Please… please, just let me go… I n-never wanted any of this…"

The blue-suited man, alerted by the sound of their footsteps, turned to face Ness and Jeff with wide, terrified eyes.

"G-get away! I'm… I'm not Monotoli! Monotoli isn't here! I…"

He let out a strangled cry as his body faded into thin air. The Mani Mani continued to stare at them from atop its pedestal, the lights of Moonside glimmering off its golden body.

 _"_ _Ness… I want you to come closer…"_

"Ugh," he shivered. "Jeff, you can do the honors. Blow it to pieces!"

"I cannot allow you to do that."

Something was materializing in front of the statue. A dark purple cloud formed, then changed to be bluer in color, then finally morphed until it had taken the shape of a human's body. Clothes became distinct: a simple blue shirt, light beige shorts, and most notably of all a red baseball cap very much like Ness's own. The person, amidst the dark haze, looked to be in his early twenties, and a sudden familiarity struck him when their eyes met. This man's face was the same one which had appeared before him in his nightmare not long after meeting Paula.

"Greetings," he choked out after his body was finished coming together. His eyes were red in color, like Mr. Megane's and Ana's had been. The skin on his face shifted to a pale blue, and his voice suddenly changed to an inhuman growl.

 **"** **You are Ness, I presume? My name is Giygas. It is a _pleasure_ to meet you at last."**


	32. Courage

Chapter 32: Courage

Ness kept his bat held tight, his heart pounding as he and Jeff stared down the man. He stood between them and the Mani Mani, a perfectly blank expression on his face and his hands at his sides.

 _"_ _N-no way… this can't actually be Giygas, can it…?"_

He remembered what Buzz Buzz had said about his adversary being an alien. Unless his species looked more like humans than he'd expected, something else must have been going on here. If the statue really was making illusions, was this person just another attempt to scare them?

Giygas, or whoever it was, swiped a hand through the air in a diagonal line. Ness felt a force like he'd been shoved and flew several yards to the side, with Jeff being thrown the other way.

 **"** **Hmhmhmhm…"**

Another hand motion, and he was dragged along the ground to rest at the man's feet. He'd dropped his bat in the process, leaving him unarmed against their foe.

 **"** **I hear you've bested two of my Commanders already. To prevent any further intrusions, I am controlling the third directly."**

He stomped a foot against Ness's head, pinning him to the curb.

 **"** **Though I must admit, part of this is for my own catharsis. This young man is my sole vessel to personally act through, and loath as I am to refrain from damaging his body or mind I cannot risk his loss."**

Ness was dragged again by Giygas's telekinetic power, hovering in the air before him.

 **"** **You look… so very much like he did back then… you may not be the boy I desire revenge upon, but you will serve as an acceptable substitution."**

The sound of a laser blast rang nearby, and Ness was dropped to the ground. Jeff, standing to Giygas's left, had begun firing at him with his custom gun. None of his shots did more than distract the man, however, as he was able to easily swipe them aside with more hand motions.

 **"** **Pitiful. You, too, resemble one of them… and your friend, she is so much like Ana…"**

His voice was becoming shaky, taking on a slightly higher pitch.

 **"** **You are all… you all remind me of them from years ago… I… I HATE YOU."**

"What are you talking about?!" Ness yelled, backing away to a safer distance. His head ached from the assault, but he wasn't ready to give up.

Jeff stopped firing to regroup with him.

"He's confused, I think. If he says you look like whoever this is, and Paula looks like that lady… he must think the same of me and Mr. Megane. But why? What past connection could he have with them?"

Giygas clenched his fist, then pointed a hand outwards at them. His fingers crackled with purple energy, the same Ness would build up when he used PK Rockin'.

 **"** **Know my power!"**

Moonside itself appeared to crack apart from the attack. A storm of PSI beams erupted through his outstretched fingers, reducing the buildings around them to rubble and pummeling them both with repeated strikes. It was by far the most agonizing experience Ness had ever suffered, as if Giygas's technique was triggering every nerve in his body. The torment only lasted for a few seconds, but he was left in a heap by the end of it, desperately trying to stand again. At his side, Jeff hadn't fared much better.

 _"_ _Why… why does this hurt so much? If it's just an illusion, why do I feel like I'm about to…"_

 **"** **Your struggling is impressive. The three from back then struggled as well. They s-s-s… sang… sang Maria's song, no matter how hard I tried to stop them… I could not overcome my grief, and for that I paid in my sanity…"**

Giygas was trembling now, his arms hugging his body as if to keep warm in the aftermath of his attack.

"PSI Lifeup: Beta…" Ness whispered, feeling his injuries disappear. He did the same for Jeff, and they got back to their feet together.

 **"** **You won't defeat me like they did,"** their enemy said in a more even tone. His mental stability was appearing to fluctuate every few seconds. **"** **This time, you have no song to save you! I have closed my heart off forever from the melody… and you, ugly Earth people, have lost your advantage. I will not break again!"**

Giygas, despite what he'd said, seemed to be talking more to himself. They used the brief lull in his attacks to edge closer.

"Can you keep him busy?" Jeff asked under his breath. "As long as he's distracted, I might be able to hit the statue. Look at its eyes, I think that's what's giving him power."

Now that Ness looked carefully, he could see the Mani Mani's face was pulsing with a similar dark blue to the aura surrounding Giygas, almost like it was projecting him into their reality.

"PK Rockin': Beta!" he yelled, thrusting a palm in Giygas's direction.

His PSI raced across the demolished street and converged on their foe all at once, obscuring him with blinding multicolored flashes. Ness could feel the energy draining from his body, but he didn't let up. He casted the same technique again and again, doing everything in his power to keep Giygas at bay.

 **"** **Pathetic."**

The last of his attacks faded, and he saw that none of them had so much as torn his clothing. Giygas was looking at him with some expression between a smile and a glare, panting softly. He reached out a hand, telekinetically grabbing Jeff and throwing him further back to prevent him from harming the statue.

 **"** **Can you grasp just how futile your quest is? How much of a lie you've been led to believe? You're no hero… and you're _far_ too late."**

Ness panted and tried to catch his breath, knowing that he would run out of PSI energy soon if he wasn't careful.

"What are you talking about? I'm the… Buzz Buzz said I was the chosen one to beat you…"

Giygas's composure slipped again and he began to roar, pointing at himself. To Ness's confusion, he gestured mostly at the red baseball cap he wore.

 **"** **DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?! I WAS DEFEATED ALREADY, YEARS AGO BY HIM! THIS WRETCHED BOY! HE WAS THE ONE WHO STOPPED ME! HE AND HIS ACCURSED FRIENDS… NINTEN! THAT NAME WILL FOREVER HAUNT ME!** ** _NINTEN!_** **"**

He was beginning to understand. Buzz Buzz himself had said he wasn't sure who would be the one to defeat Giygas, only that it was a "chosen few" spoken of in legend. He'd even identified Ness as the hero based on his red cap at first, and if this Ninten really had looked like him when he was younger… then had Buzz Buzz found the wrong person? Had he arrived too late, seeking out Ness when all along the boy he was searching for had confronted Giygas years beforehand?

Had Ninten, Ana, and the younger Mr. Megane been the true heroes? Considering they were now pawns of him all the same, it appeared even _they_ had failed.

…

Ness didn't feel as demoralized as he thought he should have, which came as a shock even to him. He stood his ground, clenching a fist around the handle of his bat to pick it up.

"I… I don't care!"

 **"…** **what?"**

Gritting his teeth, he pointed the bat at Giygas- or rather, the possessed Ninten.

"I don't care if I'm not the real chosen one, or anything like that! I don't care if you think I'll just give up because destiny didn't pick me! Even if Buzz Buzz found the wrong person, he was still counting on _me_ to save the world! I can still use my powers, and I have my friends by my side!"

 **"** **Agh… no…"**

Giygas was experiencing the same headache that his other Commanders had felt, clutching his forehead with disjointed groans of pain. In that moment, Ness felt like everything made sense.

"Ninten? That's you, isn't it? You, and Mr. Megane, and Ana… you've all been trying to break free of his influence this whole time. Well, we're going to save you!"

He could feel energy flowing into him again, maximizing his will to fight on against this impossible force. While Giygas himself was still far from their reach, he wasn't about to give up. Ness took in the psychic power, building up to achieve a new level of energy. He heard his own voice whisper the ability's name in his head and held nothing back.

"PK Rockin': Gamma!"

 **"** **DIE ALREADY!"**

Their PSI clashed together, pushing back and forth for dominance as the two kept their hands outstretched. It was exhausting to keep up the attack, but Ness held fast no matter how tired he got. He couldn't afford to lose, not with the world counting on him. With a mighty yell he unleashed any remaining energy he had, even managing to knock Giygas off balance. It hadn't harmed him much, but kept him busy just long enough. Jeff had crept away during the battle, and he had a clear shot at the Mani Mani. Taking advantage of his one chance, he fired a bottle rocket into the statue's side, and the ensuing explosion launched golden shards in every direction.

Giygas turned to look at it, and Ninten's possessed eyes widened in horror.

 **"** **No…!"**

The very world was beginning to splinter apart. Ness stumbled, trying not to lose his footing from the tremors rocking through the ground. Moonside's atmosphere cracked, letting beams of light shine across the inky black city. The air became thin, and tremendous rumbling overtook all sounds save for one.

 **"** **No! No! NO!"**

Something was happening to Giygas. Ninten's body was becoming engulfed in the blue aura he'd been surrounded by, and through the shroud of gas Ness heard something: a howling, agonized scream full of a rage greater than anything he could have imagined.

 **"** **I… I WILL DEVOUR YOU! NESS! NEEEESSSSS!"**

* * *

Ninten's eyes shot open and he let out a gasp. He collapsed to his knees on the floor of their base, struggling to catch his breath. Surprised murmurs echoed around him from the alien minions of Giygas.

"Hey. What happened?"

Ana was kneeling beside him, a look that could generously be described as concern on her face. She'd changed the most from the evil influence, without a doubt. He still remembered the sweet, caring girl who'd joined him on his own adventure, though the memories were partially buried under the corruption in his mind.

"Somehow, they did it," he sighed, pulling himself upright. "Ness and Lloyd's student broke through Master Giygas's illusion. The Mani Mani's gone, and with it the main source of his influence."

Lloyd himself was also nearby, frowning and rubbing his chin.

"Does that mean… we've lost?"

Ninten doubled over when another migraine struck, squeezing his eyes shut from the splitting pain as Giygas roared into his head.

 **"** **IT'S NOT RIGHT… I… STAY AWAY… DO NOT COME NEAR…"**

"W-what are your orders?" he pleaded, straining to speak over his agony.

 **"** **NESS… DO NOT… DO NOT APPROACH ME… I'M SO SAD, SO SAD, SO SAD…"**

His communication with the alien ended, leaving the three in silence for a few moments.

"I don't think," Ninten began, "Master Giygas is in his right mind anymore."

"Have we been released, then?" Lloyd groaned, rubbing his head. "I don't feel any different."

Ana sighed.

"No, he's still mostly in control of us. With the Mani Mani gone, however… he can't refresh his influence at such a fast rate. If Ness and company were to defeat us, Master Giygas would lose our assistance."

The aliens around them were giving the trio suspicious glares, not at all trusting them without the security of the statue's mind control.

"We can't let that happen," Ana said as if to placate the onlookers.

Ninten knew what she was really thinking. It was the same thing as him: he hoped it turned out like that after all. They were still bound to Giygas's will, but for the first time in years an escape was possible.

Of course it was. After all, he had Ana to thank for planning ahead in the first place.

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **Embodiment of Evil: Giygas**

"He's possessing Ninten, a hero of the past and his First Commander. You aren't ready to fight him yet, so your only option is to break out of Moonside… no matter what, don't give up your courage!"


	33. Rescue Mission

Chapter 33: Rescue Mission

 _"_ _Did we do it…?"_

Ness opened his eyes, half-expecting to still see the inky void of Fourside around him. He found himself standing in a warm, stuffy room surrounded by wooden crates. It was a cellar, by the looks of it, but more importantly there weren't any neon-lit outlines of the room or objects within. Jeff was behind him, slipping out of a dazed expression.

"We… we're out!" Ness cheered, almost jumping for joy.

"Huh? Oh, wow! We really did it!"

Chunks of the Mani Mani statue were strewn across the floor. Jeff kneeled down to inspect them, giving a curious hum as he picked one piece up.

"I think we're still in the café," Ness said.

Jeff nodded and showed him the part he'd chosen. To his surprise, frayed wires and broken gears could also be seen among the wreckage.

"See that? I was right; this statue was actually a device that made illusions. I'd say it emitted some sort of wave of a particular frequency…"

Ness partially tuned out his jargon-y explanation of how the Mani Mani worked. After escaping Moonside and overcoming Giygas for the moment, he was just happy to have the thing destroyed.

"…except most of this is made of technology I've never seen before," Jeff finished. "I'm almost disappointed."

"It must've been what caused all the people and animals to go nuts," Ness added. "This thing's really gotten around; it was in Onett, Twoson, and now here. I just hope Giygas's control will be gone now without it. Do you think Ninten and the others are free?"

Jeff shrugged.

"Perhaps, though they seemed to be under a more direct influence. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of them yet. But we can worry about that later, right now we should go find Paula."

They crept out the door into the main room of the café. The barista was still out cold on the floor, attended to by one patron who was gently shaking him by the shoulders. Everyone else appeared to have snapped awake from their trance, now looking around with bleary eyes as if they were trying to figure out where they were and how they'd gotten there. None of them paid much attention to Ness and Jeff, allowing the pair to sneak away without interruption. To their amazement, the sun was slowly rising when they exited the café.

"Man, we really spent an entire afternoon _and_ night in there?" Ness gasped. "It only felt like we were looking around Moonside for a few hours!"

Jeff blinked in the growing sunlight.

"The Mani Mani probably altered our perception of time as well. It was pulling out all the stops to mentally break us."

Despite how long he'd been awake, Ness barely felt tired. His heart raced in anticipation of rescuing Paula from Monotoli's clutches. Gripping his bat, he ran back up the street to Fourside's capital building with Jeff right behind him.

 _"_ _Just hold on a bit longer. I'm coming to save you…"_

While Ness had hoped there would be no further resistance now that the Mani Mani was gone, he was proven wrong upon arrival at the skyscraper. People rushed out in a panic, flooding the street in a mad dash to escape whatever commotion was occurring inside. The local police were on the scene, but none of them seemed to be entering the building itself, instead focusing on helping the citizens get to safety. Among the fleeing people, he spotted a few of Pokey's bodyguards.

"What's going on here?" Jeff asked aloud, staring at the windows. Several had shattered, and inside they could make out the occasional red flash of light.

"Looks like we have another fight on our hands. Ready?"

"Shoot, I'm out of bottle rockets," he muttered as he looked through his bag. "I've still got my laser gun, so I'll be able to help."

They worked their way through the mob of people and finally got inside the Monotoli building. Even on the first floor they could see the problem: robots about half their height rolled around on treaded bases, firing off red laser blasts at anyone who came near. Ness felt his stomach twist when he saw several wounded office workers struggling to get away.

"We've got to help them!" he shouted. "Jeff, take out the robots! I'll heal these people with my PSI."

"On it!"

He rushed from person to person, casting Lifeup onto each of them in succession to heal their injuries. Thankfully, the robots didn't seem very strong and hadn't managed to fatally harm anyone. One of their rectangular heads came flying past him at one point, and he could tell Jeff was faring well against them.

"Ohh… t-thank you," said the last person he healed. It was the elevator attendant who had brought them to Pokey's room on the 47th floor. Her hair and clothes were both a mess from the robot attack, but after Ness tended to her she was at least unharmed.

"Is there anyone left in the upper floors?" he asked.

"J-just one person… when the sentry robots from the 48th floor went nuts, he helped everyone escape. I haven't seen him for a while, though. He could still be up there!"

Jeff had rejoined him once the last of the robots was taken care of. His shirt was noticeably scorched by a stray laser, but he seemed fine otherwise.

"Okay," Ness said. "Get out of here, we'll see if we can find him."

He began to worry about Paula. The robots weren't very strong individually, and she was more than capable of handling herself, but not knowing what had become of her made him anxious. He slammed the key for the 48th floor once he and Jeff had entered the elevator, bouncing on his feet during the ascent.

 _"_ _You won't be fast enough to save her… just like you weren't the first time…"_

His blood ran cold. That voice was still in his head, but how? They'd destroyed the Mani Mani, so why could he hear it taunting him? Why wouldn't it just leave him alone?

Ness took a deep breath and tried to relax. He forced the voice out of his mind, doing his best to ignore whatever it told him. It wasn't a prediction, he thought, but just something to try and crush his motivation. He thought about Ninten, Mr. Megane, Ana, and above all Paula… Giygas had them in his clutches, and they needed his help. That alone was enough to keep him determined.

The elevator door opened to a hallway full of scrapped robot parts and scorches along the wallpaper. Bat in hand, he and Jeff followed the trail of damage through a series of offices, lounges, and other expensively decorated rooms. Fighting could be heard not far from them, prompting the two to race along until they reached a lone man engaging another group of security robots in a short hallway. It was Pokey's bodyguard, the one with red pointed sunglasses, tearing through the machines with his bare hands. They crowded around him, firing continuous laser blasts in his direction but never managing to score more than glancing blows as he darted in and out of the crowd.

"Let's help him!" Ness cried, rushing in with his bat raised.

He smashed one robot's head off its body from behind, drawing the attention of its companions. A small group of them diverted their attacks on the bodyguard to focus on Ness and rolled toward him, their alarms blaring. Taking another swing, he destroyed an additional two. Jeff fired on more of the robots with his laser gun, further clearing out the hallway. After around half a minute, they had finished off the last of the guards together.

"Sir…" Ness panted, wiping sweat off his forehead, "are you okay?"

The bodyguard turned to face him and Jeff, a confident smirk on his face.

"Ha! You'd better believe I am! A couple scrawny robots don't stand a chance against me. What're you doing here, though?"

"Monotoli has our friend," Ness said in an urgent tone. "We have to help her. Are there any more robots in the building?"

"No, they're only on this floor. I think a few also went down to the entrance to keep everyone out. Did you two deal with 'em?"

He nodded, and the bodyguard chuckled with an odd, almost knowing look on his face.

"You did, huh? I guess I'm not surprised … c'mon, let's go find your friend. The big man's room is just ahead!"

One last obstacle stood in their way: a very short gray robot, not even as tall as the others they'd faced. Its oversized, ovular head nearly caused it to topple over on its stubby feet. The machine guarded a wooden door reading "Mayor's Office," behind which another loud commotion could be heard.

 **"** **Intruders! Intruders!"** it warbled. **"Preparing to roll out the unwelcome mat!"**

The robot took a step toward them and promptly fell on its face. As it collapsed, a missile fired from a slot in its back, detonating and scattering the three in all directions. Each of them- their foe included- stumbled to their feet.

 **"** **Bzzt? Strange. Based on the information provided, I had assumed there would only be two enemies,"** the robot said. **"I am not equipped to deal with three. One of you may proceed!"**

"Is… is it serious?" Ness asked aloud. What kind of security measure was this?

Pokey's bodyguard frowned.

"I think so. You go on ahead, leave this to us."

Jeff had his gun trained on it as the robot waited for them to make a choice. He gave Ness a firm stare when he looked back, wondering if he really meant it.

"Yeah, we can take care of this. Go save Paula, hurry! It sounds like there's trouble in Monotoli's office."

The robot stepped aside and let him pass. Ness, though still confused, ran ahead and burst through the door. Behind him, he could hear the robot begin its attack on Jeff and the bodyguard again. There was no time to worry about their safety, however, because he'd barged into the midst of another battle.

* * *

With Ness on his way, Jeff became the robot's new target. It launched another missile, this time managing not to fall over in the process. He threw himself to the side and out of harm's way just in time to avoid the projectile. Of course, lacking Ness's athleticism he clumsily landed on his stomach and had to scramble to his feet before the robot could attack again. Pokey's bodyguard charged it from the side, delivering a punch to its head that merely rebounded with a loud "clang." Strangely, rather than try to counterattack it pulled a small dustpan out of some unseen compartment on its body and began to sweep the floor.

 **"** **One moment, please…"**

The bodyguard backed away, rubbing his fist. Jeff took advantage of the robot's distraction with cleaning by firing several continuous laser blasts, only for them to fizzle out upon contact. No matter what he tried, the robot simply refused to show any sign of damage. He opted to sneak around it instead, but the moment he got too close to the door it sprang back into action and fired another missile at him. Jeff only hoped they would be able to defeat it before it brought the roof down on them, as the walls were already littered with holes from their battle.

"Any ideas, Lloyd?"

He didn't immediately realize the bodyguard had been speaking to him.

"Uh… excuse me? I'm not-"

"Oh, sorry," the man replied rather quickly. "You just… ah, never mind. What should we do?"

They were approaching from either side of the robot, only to be forced away by another missile barrage. With them at a safer distance, it resumed its floor-sweeping.

"I don't know," he admitted. "This thing's just too resilient for us to damage, and we can't get near it without the risk of being hit by an explosion. Which, uh, doesn't sound like fun."

"You have no idea…" muttered the bodyguard.

As the robot prepared another missile, however, the door behind Jeff flew open. All of a sudden, a group of people wearing snazzy performer's outfits rushed in.

"The Runaway Five are on the scene!" yelled Lucky as he came to a stop in front of the robot. His bandmates took up positions beside him, so they formed a half-circle around it. The robot, confused, looked between them with a low beep.

 **"** **This is simply too many foes. I will only fight two at a time! Move along if you must."**

"I'll do more than that!"

Dashing ahead, Lucky ran to the back side of the robot and flipped a switch that Jeff hadn't noticed. Its eyes dulled in color, and the machine slumped over a moment later, no longer moving.

 _"_ _Wow… this whole time, it had an off switch? I can't tell if I should feel ashamed for not realizing that…"_

"Seems like we arrived just in time!" Gorgeous laughed. "How've you been, Jeff?"

"Uh… f-fine? What are you doing here?"

"We saw there was something big going down here, and then we noticed you and Ness run inside. So we figured we'd tag along too, help however we can!" explained Lucky. "You, he, and Paula have done more for us than we can ever make up for, but we had to pay you back somehow. Speakin' of them, where are they? And who's this?"

"Call me Teddy," the man grunted, dusting himself off from the battle and straightening his red shades.

Jeff suddenly remembered where Ness had gone and beckoned for the Runaway Five to follow him.

* * *

"PK Fire: Beta!"

"PK Freeze: Gamma! Ahahahaha!"

Ness's wide eyes flicked back and forth across the ruined office, from the destroyed furnishings to the two combatants. One he recognized as the green squid-like alien which had kidnapped Paula back in the department store. The other was Paula herself, her eyes fierce as she chanted PSI attacks at it. His heart raced at the sight, namely because she was clearly outmatched alone. Though she did everything in her power, the alien's superior psychic abilities were wearing her down by the looks of it.

Ness rushed in for a surprise attack, slamming his bat into the alien's side before it had a chance to notice him. Its three eyes bulged as it stumbled away, an unsightly bruise forming where he'd struck.

"You?!" it hissed, baring its teeth again. "So you DID escape the Mani Mani after all! No wonder it stopped emitting its influence! PK Freeze-"

"PK Rockin': Gamma!"

His newest attack, though completely exhausting, tore through the ice it had been trying to form. Flares of PSI energy enveloped the alien in a devastating explosion, drowning out its anguished screeching. As the light died down, the sound still ringing in Ness's ears, he dropped to his knees from the sheer exertion of his technique. Mentally, he decided he didn't want to use it again for a _long_ time.

"You… no…" the alien groaned, several tentacles and even chunks of its body blown completely off, "you weren't… supposed to be this strong… M-Master Pokey… said without your friend, you'd give up…"

"There's a lot he doesn't know about us," he heard Paula say in a firm voice. She'd been in the corner of the room during his battle, nursing her various injuries from before he'd arrived. "PK Fire: Beta!"

Another explosion, and the alien was gone. Ness struggled to stand again, but only wound up falling back to his knees. It was as if all of his exhaustion from the day prior caught up to him at once.

 _"_ _I can't really feel anything… Rockin' takes a lot more out of me than I thought…"_

He _did_ feel a sudden impact against his side, then something gripping him by the shoulders. After recovering from the initial shock he realized it was Paula. Pulling him closer, she gave him a tight squeeze around his back.

"Ness…?"

As he feebly returned the hug, he heard a light sob. It took him a moment to comprehend that she wasn't crying. _He_ was.

"Paula… Paula, I… I'm… you were gone, and then Moonside... a-and Giygas was there, and... I was so afraid... t-t-that they'd hurt you..."

"Shh... it's okay, Ness. I'm okay."

She rubbed his back, not saying another word. His face was bright red, but he didn't care in the slightest. Right then, the only thing that mattered was his friend's safety, and he became surer of it the longer he sat there, relishing every second of the embrace.


	34. The Master

Chapter 34: The Master

"You're… you aren't hurt, are you?" Ness asked after a while.

Paula's cheek was resting against his, and he could feel her smiling.

"I'm okay, I promise. That alien was kind of kicking my butt, so it's a good thing you showed up when you did."

At last he pulled away from the hug, but kept her hands in his. He wiped away some of his tears.

"Were you trying to escape when we got here?"

"Yes. Not too long ago, I felt the evil force over this building vanish. There was some kind of alarm, and I heard lasers outside. But I couldn't go out to see what was happening because that alien didn't let me leave. Mr. Monotoli and I were both trapped in here."

Ness's expression darkened at the mention of her captor. He cast a glance behind him, and saw the old man cowering behind the remains of his desk.

"Him…"

"D-don't attack him!" Paula cried, tugging on his arms before he could stand up. "He's not a bad person, Giygas was controlling him somehow."

His eyes widened as he put the pieces together.

"It was that statue Carpainter had back in Happy Happy Village," he explained. "Jeff and I destroyed it, but we had to go through an illusion first, and then Giygas was there, and-"

"Slow down," Paula said with a light giggle, "I don't understand. You met Giygas?"

"He… well, no, not really. We met another person he was corrupting, but this one was different. Giygas was _possessing_ him, using him directly to attack us. His name was Ninten, and he was the third 'Commander,' with Mr. Megane and Ana."

"Ana?"

Ness, in between his sniffling, choked out a laugh. She must not have been told much during her captivity.

"That's the woman who trapped us, and attacked me and Jeff back in the department store. She, Ninten, and Mr. Megane actually stopped Giygas themselves when they were our age. That was what Buzz Buzz must have saw before coming back in time. He thought I was Ninten…"

Paula laughed again.

"So… we aren't the chosen ones after all? I don't mind that. We can still save the world together. Where's Jeff?"

Right on cue, he barged in with his laser gun drawn. He paused upon seeing them on the floor and the wreckage all around the room.

"Did, uh, we win?" he asked hesitantly.

Ness nodded with a grin.

"Yeah. Everything's fine now…"

Behind Jeff, to his surprise, was the Runaway Five, waiting in the hallway with the bodyguard they'd briefly teamed up with.

"They came by to help us beat the robot," he chuckled. "Where's Monotoli?"

The old man had finally crawled out from behind his desk, his head hung low. Between his wrinkled face and faded gray hair, Ness thought he looked utterly lifeless.

"I am here… I cannot apologize enough for all I've done. That cursed statue has brought me nothing but misery, and even worse it endangered you children and the rest of Fourside."

He looked himself over with a grimace.

"You mentioned having to go through an illusion to destroy it?" Monotoli sighed. "I figured as much. This whole time, it convinced me that I was young and powerful again, when in reality I've had these frail limbs and this withered skin."

Ness couldn't help but feel bad for the man. He had fallen victim to Giygas's influence like so many others, and it reminded him of why- chosen one or not- he needed to save the world.

"How did you get the Mani Mani anyway?"

Monotoli sat in one of the room's few intact chairs and rubbed his temples.

"Several days ago, a young man approached me with an offer. He claimed he had the power to make me rich and successful beyond my wildest dreams. While he was only around your age, there was something about him which convinced me he knew what he was doing… unfortunately, I was too gullible to notice the darkness he carried with him."

Ness instantly knew who he was talking about: his neighbor, who had been the "advisor" for the mayor. With the Mani Mani gone, he wondered if Pokey was free of evil influence as well.

"He brought me that statue," Monotoli continued, "and with its amazing abilities I began to feel young again. I was in my prime once more, set to conquer all of Fourside! Pokey helped me rise from my position as a lowly real estate agent to this prosperous, despicable level of power. There was always some part of me which suspected it wasn't as harmless as it seemed, however, so I hid it in the back of a café and would only visit to pray to it. The statue… mentioned your name, Ness."

At this he looked even more depressed.

"It told me not to let you reach Summers, or find out about 'the pyramid.' I don't understand what it meant; I just knew that you had to be stopped. Whatever evil force lay inside the Mani Mani didn't want you to cross the ocean."

"Summers?" Jeff asked, his eyes widening. "That's in Foggyland, south of where I live! I wonder…"

Ness saw his train of logic.

"…if the next Sanctuary is in this pyramid? It could be! How are we gonna get there, though?"

Monotoli spoke up again.

"I may be able to help you. Just outside this office is a landing pad for my private helicopter. The least I can do to atone for my sins is allow you to use it."

"Great! Thank you so much!" Paula said. "We promise we'll bring it back to you once we're done."

Ness had forgotten what her smile looked like. He found it hard not to stare at her, and harder to keep himself from going red at the sight. Words couldn't describe how much he'd missed her.

"Oh no, not to _me_ ," Monotoli replied, also grinning. "I plan to resign immediately. The rightful Mayor deserves his position back."

"There's a problem," Jeff chimed in. "I don't think any of us can fly a helicopter."

"Leave that to me."

The bodyguard had stepped into the room around the Runaway Five, pointing a thumb at himself with a smirk.

"I'll fly it for you. I've had some practice as part of my job. Besides, I've got a bone to pick with Giygas too."

Ness, Paula, and Jeff simultaneously looked in bewilderment at him.

"You know him? How?"

"Tch. I can explain that on the trip overseas, right now let's go get that helicopter!"

Suddenly, a very loud rumbling came from outside the building. Monotoli gasped and ran to a panel on the wall opposite his office's door, pressing a series of buttons on it.

"Something isn't right," he muttered, "that's the sound of it starting up. I didn't order anyone to pilot it yet!"

A hidden door in the wall slid open, revealing a passageway to the landing pad. Ness ran out with Paula, Jeff, and the bodyguard behind him. He felt a looming sense of apprehension as he exited the tunnel and found himself staring down the bright yellow helicopter, its rotors loudly spinning in preparation for takeoff.

"HAHAHAHA!"

The open hatch revealed a lone occupant of the vehicle, the last person Ness ever wanted to see again. Pokey Minch was seated inside, sticking his tongue out at them as the helicopter lifted off.

"Ness, you pin-headed MORON!" he shouted over the roaring blades. "You're too slow, like usual! You'll _never_ get to Summers, got it?!"

"What are you doing?" Ness yelled back. "We destroyed that statue, so you're free! Giygas isn't controlling you anymore!"

Pokey's grin widened.

"Ha! Ha! Hahahahaha! Don't be even dumber than usual! NOBODY tells me what to do! Master Giygas and I have a partnership, you see, and he's given me knowledge beyond anything someone as _stupid_ as you could ever understand! I'm on my way to becoming the master of this entire world thanks to him!"

Ness grit his teeth, shooting a pleading look at his neighbor. He'd always been unpleasant, but this was something else entirely.

"Why? Why do you want to help him? What do you think will happen if Giygas takes over the world? He'll just betray you!"

"SHUT! UP!"

Pokey could be heard growling even over the spinning blades.

"I'm invincible with his help, don't you get it?! I, the great Master Pokey, have risen above you in every way! You don't have a CHANCE to stop Master Giygas and me. You're just losers, like everyone else on this planet. And losers don't get to live in the presence of those with _real_ power! That's why, together, we'll sweep you useless do-gooders away with the rest of the garbage!"

"You aren't taking any of this seriously, are you?" Ness hissed. "My family- _your_ family- everyone is going to DIE if Giygas wins!"

Pokey was silent for a moment, then began to cackle again.

"That's fine with me! My stupid parents, my stupid brother, and you and your stupid family all _deserve_ it. There's only room in this world for those smart enough to join the winning team. Monotoli, for as long as I used him, just didn't see it, since he still tried to resist the Mani Mani's influence. Even the Commanders, the idiots who forced Master Giygas to retreat years ago, were no match for him in the end. And they _still_ think you'll come to save them! Imagine how hopeless things are if they have to rely on cretins like you."

He clenched his fists together as if he were getting stronger with every word he spat out.

"Take it from me, the smartest thing for you to do is just run home to mommy and hide under your bed until we win! If you do that for me, and admit that _I_ was always better, _maybe_ I'll put in a good word to Master Giygas. Who knows? If you're lucky, he might just choose to spare you!"

As much as Ness wanted to respond with a PSI attack, he knew there was a chance the helicopter would crash and hurt someone below. All he could do was snarl in frustration while Pokey began to drift away.

"Anyway, I'm way too important to deal with you! Have fun down there, wimps!"

And then the vehicle was out of his reach, disappearing into the horizon with his neighbor's laughter still howling from a distance.

* * *

As the helicopter flew away, piloted by one of Monotoli's guard robots, Pokey leaned back in the chair and crossing his arms behind his head with a satisfied grin. His whole body trembled with pride. Never before had he chewed Ness out _that_ brutally! He replayed his speech a few times in his head, thinking of all the other possibilities for insults he could have thrown in. Perhaps he ought to have mentioned Ness's mangy dog… he'd always found the thing disgusting, after all.

His inner gloating was unfortunately cut off by the world going dark before him. There wasn't any headache, like usual, since Giygas didn't need to fight his way into Pokey's mind as with the Commanders.

 **"** **Youuuu…. You are my… my friend… s-s-s-s-till… only friend…"**

Something was different about his voice. He'd sounded pained before, but this time Pokey thought he was speaking from multiple sources at once. Giygas's speech was slurred, then extremely precise, then fast, slow, everything in between, and he constantly sounded like he was speaking through a heavy fan which garbled his voice. What had _happened_ to him during Ness's encounter with the Mani Mani?

"Uh… y-yes, Master Giygas, I am," he said hesitantly. "How can I help you?"

 **"** **Others… Ninten, Lloyd, Ana… resisting, cannot be trusted… to come near… you can… you m-must come… to me…"**

He was fairly certain his heart stopped. Despite Giygas speaking to him ever since he made it to Happy Happy Village, he'd never learned what the alien actually looked like, not even from the Commanders. Now he was being invited to his side, just like that?

"Of- of course, sir! Can you tell me where to find you?"

Pokey didn't like the idea of being right next to Giygas, but there was no arguing with him.

 **"** **Come to me… to Deep Darkness… I will give you the knowledge, you alone. Don't let… the others know… noooo… it's not right, not right, Maria… please…"**

This again. Every day, constantly whining about "Maria," whoever that was supposed to be. Pokey bit his tongue and waited until Giygas had finished blubbering. A slight wave of nausea passed over him, a sign that he'd been sent information through telepathy. Already he was thinking the same things as his deranged leader.

"Yes… I understand, Master Giygas! I know what I have to do. Together, we'll rule this world and destroy everyone who defies us!"

With one final groan, the alien separated their mental connection and Pokey found himself back in the helicopter, envisioning his grand success.

Ninten, Lloyd, Ana…

His parents… Picky…

Those two idiots following his neighbor…

Ness himself, the source of all Pokey's jealousy…

And everyone else in the world who didn't look up to him with the respect he deserved…

Even Giygas, who was rapidly deteriorating into a sniveling wreck of a mind…

All of them would have to be dealt with. If they wouldn't call Pokey their rightful leader, they simply didn't deserve to be alive anymore. That was just the natural order of things.

And the thought made him smile.

 **End of Part Four**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Happy holidays, readers! At the time of writing, Part Six is just about finished. The story's set to be eight parts long, so I hope you'll stick around. See you in a few days for Part Five!


	35. From Fourside to Foresight

**Part Five: Around the World**

Chapter 35: From Fourside to Foresight

With Pokey escaping and taking the helicopter with him, Ness was left at an impasse.

"Now what?" he groaned. "We have to get to Summers, but I don't have any ideas…"

Paula's eyes were closed, and she was putting a hand to her forehead as if something was hurting her. Ness drew closer, concerned, but after a moment she appeared to be fine.

"I just had a vision," she announced. "Actually, it was my first one in a while… it said we need to go back to Threed. Something there might help us."

"You get psychic visions too?" Pokey's old bodyguard asked, an impressed look on his face. "Heh… you kids are just like them…"

Jeff raised an eyebrow and looked up at him.

"I think it's time you told us who _you_ are. You said your name is Teddy, but beyond that we don't know anything. Not to mention you claim to have your own reasons for wanting to fight our enemy."

Despite the setback, Ness was interested in hearing what he had to say as well. Teddy looked between them and chuckled.

"Okay, I'll give you the short version. When Giygas invaded ten-ish years ago, he was thwarted by three kids just like you. Their names were Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd.

Ness recognized the first two, and assumed that Lloyd was Mr. Megane's first name. It still blew his mind to think there were heroes before them, fighting the very same enemy.

"But I tagged along for a bit, too," Teddy continued. "I helped them reach a certain mountain in the middle of Eagleland, and that's where they took him down. I never got to see Giygas myself, since I was injured in a battle way before they got to him. All I know is they won, then a few years went by and I stopped hearing from those three."

"I don't understand," murmured Jeff. "If they beat him, how did he manage to take control of them like everyone else?"

"Maybe it was more slow-acting?" Paula suggested. "His influence could have spread over time instead of right away."

Teddy scratched the back of his head.

"Could be. Or not. Either way, I thought it was fishy when they vanished and started to look for 'em. Once I made it here, that statue Pokey had must've gotten me too."

"Did you see any of them while you were under the Mani Mani's control?" Ness asked. "Ana was in the department store, did she come by here too?"

"Can't say she did," he groaned. "I had to stay near that kid the whole time, so I didn't even know she was around. I'm sure she's gone again by now, and I have no idea where…"

His lament died down, and behind his sunglasses he glanced between the three of them. Teddy looked like he was chewing his tongue, silent for a moment before making a bold declaration.

"Yeah… that'll work. If you're fighting Giygas, and they're his minions, then I'm sure you'll run into 'em again. I can still fight, so I'm coming with you kids. I'll keep you safe, just like I did with them."

It sounded like they didn't have much of a choice. Still, Ness wasn't about to deny more help. Teddy looked strong enough to hold his own, so he nodded.

"Great! This makes us, um… I don't know, the un-chosen ones?"

"We can probably think of a better name later," Paula laughed. "Let's get to Threed now and see what my vision wanted us to do."

When they entered Monotoli's office again, they were greeted by Gorgeous from the Runaway Five.

"Seems like you missed your chance to fly outta here. What'll you do now?"

"We have to go to Threed again. Hopefully this time there aren't any traffic jams."

"Ha!" the red-suited musician chortled. "We can help you with that. Our tour bus is outside, so just hop in and we'll be on the road in no time!"

With that he exited the room and walked back down the hall to the elevator. As Ness and his companions followed, Monotoli waved to him on the way out.

"You are a capable group, and I know you'll succeed in the end. I wish you the best of luck!"

"I told you he's not a bad person," Paula said once they'd returned to the elevator. "Ooh… I just hope he doesn't get into trouble now that Fourside's back to normal."

"Everything's worked out so far, hasn't it?" Ness responded. "I think he'll be okay."

True to their word, the Runaway Five were parked beyond the police barricade around the Monotoli building. Only a handful of people were left loitering in the aftermath of the robot outbreak, meaning their only obstacles were the remaining officers who had secured the perimeter.

"Everything's safe now," Teddy said to one policeman who approached as they exited. "I'll get these kids home, you'd better make sure nobody else is hurt in the building. Mr. Monotoli's still at the top floor."

Common sense told Ness that the officer should have been more questioning, but he just nodded and ran through the broken glass doors. Fourside's police didn't seem to be much more authoritative than Onett's.

Before they could get on the bus, however, something flashed into view right in front of Ness. A streak of brown fur zoomed past him and collided with the edge of an adjacent building. He was staring at a monkey covered in soot from whatever it had just done. It turned to face him, and just like the monkey in the desert had it began to speak.

"Ness! You are Ness! Talah Rama has completed his fasting and wishes to speak with you. Come to his sacred grounds in the desert as soon as you can, it is of great importance!"

And with that it was gone, sprinting off down the street again and out of view.

"Uh… I guess we should follow him," Ness muttered as they climbed into the Runaway Five's bus. "Take us to the desert, please!"

The drive out of Fourside was anything but silent, as the band performed for them the whole way back. Teddy revealed himself to have a knack for singing as well and even joined in at a few points. It felt strange for Ness to be surrounded by so many people, but not in a bad way. He'd started his adventure with just Buzz Buzz at his side, and now he had more friends than he ever imagined he would along the journey.

They pulled to a stop at the western end of the desert, where Ness and his three allies got out onto the street. It was no less hot than before to his dismay, but compared to Moonside's chilling atmosphere he wasn't about to complain. A large group of monkeys were playing in the sand around a conspicuous hole with a ladder sticking out of it. On their first visit he'd somehow failed to notice that, which made Ness feel more than a little embarrassed. Paula, Jeff, and Teddy followed him down the ladder into a torch-lit cave full of damp air and even more monkeys.

An old man was seated in the midst of them, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He wore a faded gray turban and white robes which matched his long beard. As they approached, the monkeys parted to give them space.

"Hm… I thank you for coming," Talah Rama murmured, opening his eyes to see them. "The truth of space and time flows like a wave, becoming matter to speak to us human beings. This truth told me I would one day meet an important boy who would save the world. I meditated and discovered the boy to be you, Ness."

"Uh… I heard we aren't the chosen ones," he said in a quiet voice. "Are you sure it was me you thought of?"

The old man's eyes seemed to flash.

"I am. The Apple of Enlightenment is an ancient artifact that has long since been lost to the reach of humanity, but through my meditation I have been able to glimpse what it sees. It is true that a boy named Ninten and his friends thwarted the evil power years ago. You have learned this already, yes? And despite knowing that even they ultimately failed, you continued to fight on?"

Ness didn't say a word but nodded in agreement.

"Then I am sure I have the right young man," Talah Rama said. "Wisdom… courage… friendship… these three elements are of the upmost importance to heroes such as yourselves. Through the course of your journey, you have attained one of them already. Your courage has been achieved from your perseverance even when the danger has grown beyond expectation. Recently you have been confronted by your mortal enemy and not backed down even in the face of overwhelming power. Not everyone could have shown such bravery."

He nodded again, then frowned in confusion.

"I think I understand… but how haven't we gotten friendship or wisdom yet?"

"An excellent question. Your wisdom, Ness, will be complete once you have visited all of your Sanctuaries. Then your heart will open to the truth about yourself, and you will finally understand your role in life. As for your friendship… the things I have seen in my meditation revealed this to me: the world's fate rests in the hands of a quartet. The Chosen Four will defeat the evil power once and for all."

"I thought… we _aren't_ the chosen ones, though…" Ness repeated, feeling his head spin at the weight of all this.

Talah Rama's eyes seemed to shine.

"The Apple of Enlightenment may not have shown you as the great evil's downfall in the past, but the present is a different matter. There are more ways than one to be chosen. As you gain wisdom, you will come to understand. Four chosen hearts shall unite: Ness, Paula, Jeff… you are missing one, it seems."

Ness looked back at Teddy, confused. How were they missing someone? Was he not the last person they needed to find?

"Heh. I figured as much."

Teddy himself seemed the least surprised of them all. He just cracked a grin at Ness, Paula, and Jeff.

"I didn't get to fight Giygas last time, and something tells me I'm not the guy you need. Of course I'll help you as much as I can, but I guess this hero business is for kids only."

"But… who's the fourth one, then?" Ness asked.

"That," Talah Rama chuckled, "is for you to discover. The answers will reveal themselves to you over time, so for now you must continue your journey. Before then, I believe it is time for you to learn a special ability. I will teach you the art of PSI Teleport-"

Ness's hopes had been raised, but Talah Rama suddenly squinted at him like he'd noticed something odd.

"…curious… you cannot learn this technique just yet. Something in your mind is blocking its access. This is most troubling, but I believe as you seek out your Sanctuaries you may overcome it. Regrettably, there is nothing more I can offer you at this time."

Disappointing, but he would have to make do without teleportation powers for the moment. Ness and his companions left afterwards, waving goodbye to Talah Rama and the monkeys.

 _"_ _Something in my mind… is it the same thing that's been talking to me for a while now?"_

He had time to worry about that later, right then they had to get to Summers. The Runaway Five allowed them back on the bus and continued the return trip to Threed, guided by Paula's vision from earlier.

"PSI Teleport…" Teddy murmured along the way. "I remember that; Ninten and Ana could do it. We all ran in a line together, and as long as we didn't crash into anything we'd eventually open this portal-looking hole and wind up where we wanted to be. I never got how that psychic stuff works, but let me tell you it _really_ stung whenever we didn't do it right."

"How did you meet them if you don't have PSI?" Paula asked. "Did they call out to you in a dream? It's how I met Ness and Jeff."

He scratched behind his head.

"To be honest, I attacked them. I used to be the leader of a gang, and when they showed up to cause trouble in our territory I tried fighting 'em myself. They seemed tough- well, I actually thought Lloyd was a wimp at the time- so I decided to follow them for a bit. On the way, they told me about how they were fighting an alien invasion, or something like that… I didn't believe them for a while since they were just overactive kids, but when robots from outer space started attacking us I changed my mind."

"You said you were injured in a battle before you could see Giygas, right?" added Jeff. "What happened?"

Teddy chuckled.

"We'd made it to a cottage on that mountain I mentioned for a rest during the climb. Ninten and Ana… heh, I gave them a little privacy for a couple minutes- and no, I don't _really_ know what happened between them. On our way out we were attacked by an even bigger robot which nearly did us in. Funny enough, Lloyd came to our rescue in a tank and blew it away. I guess as karma for thinking he was a wimp, I ended up getting caught in the blast and was too hurt to keep going. They had to leave me behind afterwards so I could heal up."

Ness glanced at Jeff and cracked a grin. The look on his face showed he was completely spellbound by the tale of his teacher's adventure, even if Teddy hadn't been able to say much.

"I don't have any idea what all this is about," said Gorgeous from the front of the bus, "but it sounds serious. Are you kids sure you'll be okay?"

"We've dealt with all kinds of stuff," Ness replied. "As long as we're together, we'll be just fine."

By the time they arrived at Threed it was early in the evening. The bus rolled to a stop in front of the hotel, just like the first time the Runaway Five had brought them to the town. Ness, Paula, Jeff, Teddy, Lucky, and Gorgeous all got out onto the street together.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Lucky said, a bittersweet smile coming over him. "Take care of yourselves, yeah?"

Gorgeous tipped his hat to them.

"Be sure to drop by our shows again, you're always welcome backstage. If you ever need some motivation, just think of our music! No matter where you go, we'll be rootin' for you the whole way."

"Just a moment! It's 'fuzzy pickles' time!"

The photographer dropped out of the sky like usual, landing a few yards away from them. He was already holding his camera.

"This is a rare chance indeed!" he chortled, stroking his golden beard. "Our heroes _and_ the Runaway Five together! There's no doubt this'll bring back the fondest of memories! Smile, everyone!"

Ness didn't mind him so much this time. Paula grabbed him and Jeff around the shoulders and hugged them close to her, while Teddy and the Runaway Five all posed behind the three. One click of the camera later, the photographer disappeared into the sky again.

With that, the band got back into their bus and took off down the road. Ness waved until they were out of sight, thinking about how much had happened so far. The passage of time had become something of a blur to him, and it felt like he'd been with Paula and Jeff for months. He may have been tasked with saving the world from an evil overlord, but he knew he would always remember this as the highlight of his summer.


	36. To Winters!

Chapter 36: To Winters!

"Okay, we're in Threed now. Did your vision tell you anything on what to do next?" Ness asked.

Paula shook her head.

"Not really. It was very short, so I didn't get a lot of information. I don't know what we're supposed to be looking for here."

Fate decided to throw him a bone, as the very moment she stopped talking the receiver phone in his backpack started to ring. Ness dug it out from beneath the mess of dirty clothes, food wrappers, and other assorted junk- distinctly aware that he would have to clean house eventually- and answered to the sound of Apple Kid's voice.

"Hey, Ness! I haven't called in a while, how've you and Paula been?"

"We're fine. That Zombie Paper you invented helped us save Threed, and we've also gone to Fourside in the meantime."

"Sounds like you have a lot going on! You'll have to tell me more sometime," Apple Kid laughed. "Anyway, I'm calling to let you know I might be able to help you again. I've figured out who your enemy is! And, knowing that, I'm going to meet with the great Dr. William Andonuts to get started on an invention that'll help you take him down."

Ness looked over to Jeff.

"Isn't Dr. Andonuts your dad?"

"Uh- yeah, he is. Who are you even talking to?"

"No way! You have his son with you too?!" Apple Kid exclaimed through the receiver. "I'd love to meet him! Right now I'm in Threed, and you'll never believe what I found! It's some kind of wrecked spaceship under the graveyard. Over the last few days I've been fixing it up to take me to Winters."

Ness had long since stopped questioning how Apple Kid knew the things he did, so how he was able to repair the ship Jeff arrived in didn't even cross his mind. What _did_ occur to him was how conveniently-timed this was.

"Wait, are you still here? We're in Threed too, we'll come meet you."

"Great, I'm at the place right now. Hurry on over, this thing's just about ready to fly!"

He hung up, and Ness turned to his three companions again.

"We're going back to that ship Jeff came here in. Apple Kid's fixing it for us, so we might be able to fly to Summers now. Come on, he's waiting!"

"Who's Apple Kid?" Jeff repeated as he ran alongside them.

"Another inventor-type person, like you. I met him in Twoson, and he's been helping me since then. He gave me an eraser machine to get rid of metal pencil statues, and he also send us the Zombie Paper when we were here the first time. I… don't really know how he's always able to tell what we need."

Jeff seemed to be frowning, but nodded without a word.

"What kind of name is Apple Kid?" Teddy asked in a short bark of a laugh.

Ness shrugged.

"I think it's just a title. There's another person like him named Orange Kid."

The mention of fruit reminded him of how hungry he was. With so much happening during their adventure, they found themselves neglecting meals on several occasions. It was all catching up to him now, and he didn't even have crumbs.

To their surprise, the spaceship was sitting in the middle of a sidewalk through the graveyard. It looked to be in working condition despite the crash landing from several nights prior, though numerous scratches and dents were still visible along its outer shell. Apple Kid was sitting next to it, a slice of pizza hanging from his mouth and some odd gray device in his lap. He waved to Ness and company as they approached.

"There you are! Guess what, in the time between our phone call and you getting here I made a new invention! It's a yogurt dispenser capable of making any flavor you could ever want. I think it's got real potential."

"Really? Can you make some chocolate yogurt?" Ness asked, almost drooling at the thought of being able to eat.

"Ehehe… sorry, it isn't quite done yet. Right now it can only make trout-flavored yogurt."

The sound of that was enough to make him briefly forget his hunger. Just thinking about what trout yogurt would smell like caused his stomach to turn.

"You're… an inventor from Twoson, right?" Jeff said slowly. He didn't seem impressed by Apple Kid's appearance.

"Sure am. I come up with all sorts of wacky stuff," he responded through a mouthful of pizza. "This next invention will be the greatest one yet! I've been in contact with the great Dr. Andonuts for a few days now, and he says he's working on something called a Phase Distorter. I'm heading to meet him so we can combine our efforts."

"Really? He… didn't tell me about anything like that."

Ness saw Jeff's shoulders slump a bit and wondered if he was taking the news worse than he let on.

"Huh, that's weird," Apple Kid commented. "Well, if we're going to see him together you can ask about it then. Wait a second… Ness told me he was with- oh! You're his son, right? It's so great to meet you!"

As the two inventors shook hands- with a somewhat awkward laugh on Jeff's part- Ness approached the ship and ran a finger across its outer shell.

"It looks kinda… small. Can it really fit all five of us?"

The hatch was open, and Teddy peered inside from the stairs.

"I think there's enough space. It might be a bit of a squeeze, but we should be able to do it."

They climbed in, with Jeff taking the pilot's seat at Apple Kid's insistence. While the ship wasn't as spacious on the inside as he would've liked, Ness found there was at least enough room for each of them to sit down for the flight. Apple Kid shared his leftover pizza with the group, both alarmed and amused by the fact that none of them had eaten for such a long time.

Jeff flew them away from Threed, passing over the desert and Fourside before heading across the ocean. He swiveled around in the chair to face them, having set the ship to pilot itself.

"We should get to Winters in about nine hours. The Sky Runner can't handle a trip to Summers from here, but Dad can probably fix that for us."

Ness had finished scarfing down two slices of pizza only a few minutes after they'd taken off.

"Works for me."

A loud burp echoed around the cramped space, causing everyone to jump.

"Hahaha! That's a good belch you've got, Ness!" roared Teddy, who had to sit with his legs tucked in the most on account of being the tallest.

"That… wasn't me…"

All eyes traced over to Paula, who had her extremely red face buried in her hands.

"I-I-I'm… ahhhh…"

They all burst out laughing, and Ness gave her a pat on the back. She looked at him with an expression like a nervous puppy, but soon she joined in with them too. The group continued chatting on their way over the ocean, eventually drifting off to sleep as night set in.

* * *

 _"_ _You really won't just give up already…"_

 _"_ _Ninten? Is that you?"_

Ness had grown used to the garbled voice in his dream by then, but he still couldn't immediately identify it. The speaker sounded like the Mani Mani's sinister echo, as well as Giygas's deeper tone from when he and Jeff had encountered him in Moonside. Ninten's voice was mixed somewhere in as well, though it was too faint to clearly make out.

 _"_ _No... think again!"  
_

This time it took on a more familiar sound- namely, his own.

 _"_ _What… what are you supposed to be? Am I imagining you?"_

 _"_ _I guess you can say that. I'm a part of your mind! All your worst fears and insecurities, rolled up into one solid form. That's me. Just call me 'Darkness' to make it easier. Hehehe, get it?"_

 _"_ _Ugh, go away. If you're really a part of me, you'd know I said I wasn't giving up in Moonside."_

The voice chuckled a second time.

 _"_ _Of course I know. I also know what's best for you, and just between us that would be turning tail and running away. If not, you'll blunder into horrible situation after horrible situation. I'd say at this point I'm about sixty percent composed of what you felt when Paula got kidnapped, to give you an idea of how doomed you are. The further you go, the stronger I get. Eventually the time will come for me to overthrow you… ahahaha…"_

He narrowed his eyes.

 _"_ _Not happening. Besides, you're just part of my mind. You can't hurt me, no matter how much you try to scare me away. And you sound like a bad cartoon villain."_

 _"_ _You're not completely wrong. All I can do is yell at you in your sleep, but that doesn't seem to be working. I'll leave you alone for the time being… just know that, one day, my chance will come. Our showdown's unavoidable, and I can't_ wait _to squeeze all the hope out of you when we get to it."_

The dream faded away, Darkness's cackling decreasing in volume until he was left in dead silence again.

* * *

It was very early in the morning by the time the Sky Runner reached Winters. So early, in fact, that only Ness and Jeff were fully awake to experience the landing- the latter having slept for just four hours, as was apparently his custom. Paula was still half asleep, leaning against Ness during the descent, while Teddy and Apple Kid both snored away without a care until they finally touched down in a white-and-blue-tiled building.

"Dad! I'm back!" Jeff announced as he stepped out of the ship's hatch.

Ness gently shook the others awake before following him, rubbing the drowsiness out of his own eyes.

"Ah, so these are the friends you rescued! It's so nice to meet you."

Jeff was talking to a short man in a white coat who he assumed was his father.

"That's right," Ness chuckled. "He really saved our-"

"Woooow! I can't believe I'm actually with the great Dr. Andonuts!"

Apple Kid had woken up almost instantly upon arrival and charged out, vigorously shaking the doctor's hand with stars in his eyes.

"Ho ho! You must be that boy from Twoson. I can tell you're excited to help me work on the Phase Distorter."

"Y-yes sir! I've heard so much about you, I just had to learn more of your skills!"

Paula and Teddy had both gotten out as well, stumbling bleary-eyed toward them in the dim light of the lab.

"Your friends seem tired, Jeff," Dr. Andonuts remarked, stroking his round chin. "Perhaps you could do with some time in my Instant Revitalizing Machine! After just a few minutes in there, you'll feel good as new!"

Ness tuned out the three inventors' discussion on how the device worked and merely allowed himself to be laid down in the black machine. A sense of refreshment washed over him, after which- like magic- all of his drowsiness and even lingering hunger disappeared. Paula, Jeff, and Teddy each had a turn in it as well, while Apple Kid insisted that he was fine without it.

"So, what brings you all here?" Dr. Andonuts asked.

Jeff was the first to answer.

"We're trying to get to Summers, but we'll need an enhancement to the Sky Runner. It's important for our adventure, we're just not sure… _how._ "

"Ah, not to worry! I can send you on your way in no more than an hour after some modifications. I'd like to test the Phase Distorter, but it's not ready quite yet."

The man was gesturing to another large object tucked away in the corner of the room. Like the Sky Runner, it was entirely gray in color and had a sleek metal casing. The central bulb was a half-circle in shape, topped by a transparent dome through which a mess of buttons and levers could be seen around the seat. Six spider-like legs ending in sharp tips protruded from the sides of the Phase Distorter's cockpit, each splayed outwards to keep it steady on the floor.

"…not to mention there are too many of you to use it," Dr. Andonuts added with a small laugh. "In the meantime, Jeff, why don't you show your friends around? Perhaps they'd like to see Stonehenge."

"Whoa, we're close to it?" Paula gasped. "I've only ever heard stories!"

"Maybe it's another Sanctuary," added Teddy. "You're supposed to be looking for 'special places,' aren't you?"

Ness looked at the Sound Stone and, surprisingly, found that it was indeed glowing a faint yellow, directing him north.

"Hey, I think you could be right! Let's check it out."

"Mind if I tag along?" asked Apple Kid. "I haven't gotten to see you guys in action yet!"

Jeff was quiet, and appeared to be thinking about something. As they stepped out the door to investigate, he called to them.

"If it's okay, I'm gonna stay here to help with the Sky Runner."

He suspected Jeff wanted to spend more time with Dr. Andonuts, and Ness couldn't blame him. They'd never had much of a chance to interact, so it only made sense.

 _"_ _I wonder when Dad's coming home… I'd better give him and Mom a call again soon."_

"Yeah, go ahead!" he replied. "We'll be right back."

With Paula, Teddy, and Apple Kid behind him, he followed the Sound Stone's light north toward what would be the fifth Sanctuary thus far.


	37. Reconnecting, Re-encountering

Chapter 37: Reconnecting, Reencountering

In hindsight, Ness really should have expected a country named Winters to be cold. The gentle snowfall around them was pleasing to the eyes, and fond memories of making snowmen in his yard came rushing back to him as they progressed north through the soft white fields, but at the same time he and his companions were hardly dressed for the occasion. Not even five minutes into the walk he'd lost all feeling in his face and limbs.

"I n-never thought I would miss the desert," Paula groaned, hugging her arms across her chest and shivering miserably.

"Twoson never got this cold," muttered Apple Kid, who despite his heavier clothing wasn't faring much better than them. "I should've brought a jacket…"

Teddy, however, barely seemed affected by the temperature. He had a toothy smirk, his hands casually tucked in the pockets of his black suit.

"C'mon, don't tell me you're letting the cold get you down! Heroes like you need to be ready for anything!"

Ness sneezed.

"Easy for you to say, you've got long clothes…"

Grinning wider, Teddy reached to his shoulders and ripped his sleeves off, exposing muscular forearms to the biting cold.

"There, now we're even."

"H-how are you not bothered by this?!"

"My tough spirit gives me all the warmth I need!" he laughed. "Are we getting close?"

He checked the Sound Stone again and found it was glowing brighter. Their destination, a circle of rocky archways around an unremarkable patch of snow, came into view up ahead. Ness picked up the pace in the hopes they'd be able to claim the Sanctuary and get out of the cold, coming to a stop near the middle of Stonehenge.

"Okay… I don't see a guardian anywhere, so this should be easy…"

Strangely, he didn't feel the familiar rush of energy like the others he'd visited. There was something more sinister about this place, but he couldn't put his finger on the reason. All he felt was a faint, looming darkness from somewhere nearby. The Sound Stone didn't react, and to his surprise it was still directing them north.

"Is this not the right place…? Let's keep going."

As they continued on, however, something told him he hadn't seen the last of Stonehenge just yet.

* * *

"…that's when Mr. Megane showed up. Ness still had the mushroom on his head, so Paula and I had to fight him off ourselves."

Modifying the Sky Runner wasn't difficult- in fact, it was already finished after only half an hour. While Jeff waited for his friends to return, he and his father had taken the time to catch up with each other. Dr. Andonuts told him about his various scientific theories and breakthroughs, showing off various ideas for future inventions and asking for his feedback. After that, Jeff had begun telling him about how life at Snow Wood had been over the years as well as his recent adventure.

"Ah, your teacher… you said you looked up to him?"

Dr. Andonuts had an odd look in his eyes, one Jeff couldn't quite get a feel for.

"Yeah, I did. He taught me how to use bottle rockets, and even build them myself. Apparently I'm his best student."

"Hmhmhm… I see… well, I'm glad your time at that school wasn't lonely. Tony sounds like a nice friend too."

They were quiet for a few moments. Jeff worked up the courage to ask the question hanging over him for his whole life.

"Um, Dad? Why… why did you, uh, leave me there?"

"…"

Dr. Andonuts gave a barely audible sigh.

"I… wasn't able to take care of you. I couldn't provide you with a proper environment to grow up in, and… I'm not proud of this- in fact, I've always regretted it. The principal at Snow Wood is an old colleague of mine, and he offered to take you in as a student until the time was right for us to meet again."

Whenever Jeff asked about his father's reason for leaving him at the boarding school, the teachers would simply reply that they didn't know. Not even Mr. Megane had answers for him, though out of everyone at Snow Wood his mood alone appeared to sour whenever Dr. Andonuts was mentioned and he would often leave the room shortly after. Did he suspect anything? Had he resented the man for all the years Jeff had known him?

"It was selfish of me," his father continued. "Selfish to put my work before your well-being. Selfish, even cowardly to leave you there, assuming you would be better off than to take on the responsibility myself. And no apology I could possibly give you would make up for it on my part."

A pause.

"I doubt I have any right to ask this after having left you for so long, but when your adventure is over… would you be willing to give me another chance? You've grown into a fine young man, and I was wondering if you would like to stay with me from now on."

Jeff hesitated. His father had given him up for reasons even he referred to as selfish and left him to grow up never knowing what it was like to have a family. Whatever Mr. Megane may have thought of the man, he'd never voiced his opinion to anyone. Was Jeff supposed to be angry with him too? He was confused, unsure, perhaps upset at being left behind, but out of the mix of conflicting emotions he felt he couldn't say anger was among them. Really, he didn't know what he was meant to be feeling.

At the same time, though…

His gut told him Dr. Andonuts was sincerely remorseful. By his own admission, the decision to leave his son behind was inexcusable yet he _still_ wanted to make up for it. The offer triggered something within Jeff. Deep down, the longing he'd always felt for a normal home life roared awake, and for the first time since joining Ness and Paula he had something to look forward to after their adventure was over.

He realized he was smiling, and he couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"I will."

Jeff acted on impulse, pulling his father into a light hug. He was no good with intimacy on any level, and it may not have been the most opportune moment, but he felt like he needed to do _something_.

"…thank you," Dr. Andonuts murmured, returning the embrace. "Thank you so much… I don't deserve such forgiveness after I couldn't- no, _didn't_ take care of you, but I promise you won't have to be alone again…"

He chuckled.

"This is all very confusing to me. Nice, without a doubt… but confusing."

"Same here," Jeff replied, his grin hopelessly wide. "At least we get to be confused together now."

"Hahaha! You really are special…"

They stayed like that for a very long time.

* * *

The Sound Stone guided Ness away from Stonehenge and to a snowy mountain with a tunnel leading through it.

"I'm getting kinda tired of caves," Paula noted as they walked into the darkness, "but at least it's not as cold in here."

"How many have you been through?" Apple Kid asked, bringing up the rear of the group.

Ness had actually lost count over the course of his adventure.

"I, uh, don't remember. But most of the Sanctuaries we've visited had us go through one."

The yellow glow was his only source of light, but the tunnel wasn't as dark as he'd expected. He wondered if his eyes were adjusting to caves the further along his quest he went. Teddy, meanwhile, hadn't taken off his sunglasses and stumbled rather blindly beside him.

"Isn't it hard to see with those?"

"Don't worry about me! I _never_ take these off when there's business to be done. No self-respecting tough guy would be caught dead without his shades!"

He blundered into a low chunk of the ceiling and muttered a curse, causing Ness to grin at the timing of it. The Sound Stone was emitting a brilliant light by the time they were brought to a branch in the tunnel and turned to continue down the left side.

 _"_ _Ah, you've arrived!"_

Experience taught him that the Sanctuary would have a guardian, and the voice calling out to him must have been it. He could see light further ahead, at the end of the cave, but their progress was blocked by a shambling figure approaching them.

"You'd better stay back," Ness said to Apple Kid. "This could be rough."

"Uh, okay! Show 'em who's boss!"

 _"_ _This is the fourth of your Sanctuaries, Ness. But it's mine now!"_

"Wouldn't it be the fifth?" he called to the approaching enemy, which had a stout and wide silhouette in the darkness. "I got one early, so…"

 _"_ _FOURTH! I already had to deal with a fake-out from some blond kid who came here without you. Shut up and don't steal my moment!"_

 _"_ _Blond kid? Did Jeff come through here on his way to rescue us?"_ he wondered to himself.

The guardian- a walking mushroom about his height with a sneering face and round white eyes- finally came into view. Smaller fungi sprouted from the red dome atop its head, giving Ness an unpleasant reminder of the time he'd been taken over by a mushroom.

"As I was saying," it cackled, "take this spot from me if you dare! Or perhaps I'll just turn you all into puppets of mine."

"PK Fire: Beta!"

Paula opened with the first attack, a psychic blast of flames which scorched the guardian's protruding spores. It gave a frightened shriek and backed away, rubbing the burns on its head.

"Ack! Hot! Hot! Oooh, now I'm mad! You're gonna pay, runts!"

Ness charged the giant mushroom, bat raised and Teddy by his side. They both connected with strong physical strikes to its midsection and threw it back even further. The guardian crashed against the tunnel's wall, but retaliated by lunging forward to knock into them when they attempted a second attack. Both of them were launched onto the floor several yards away from it.

"It's been a long time since I had a fight like this," Teddy mused, cracking his knuckles. "Get up quick, Ness, or I'll have all the fun myself!"

"Fool! Nobody stands a chance against Shrooom!"

"Uh… why did you hold on the 'o' for just a bit longer than normal?" Apple Kid asked, watching from the sidelines.

The guardian glowered at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, instead of just saying 'Shroom' you held the middle part for too long, like it was spelled with an extra 'o.'"

"You're not making any sense!" it barked. "And who gave you the right to question- gah!"

Paula had snuck up behind it, slamming her frying pan onto "Shrooom's" head with a mighty grunt. The guardian reflexively buckled from the impact and put itself in an ideal position for Ness to add another swing of his bat. Dazed from both hard strikes, it stumbled forward into the path of an uppercut from Teddy.

"Oooh, this isn't my day…"

It collapsed onto its back, flinging charred spores everywhere. Another wave of PK Fire fully destroyed them to prevent anyone from being infected, and the three surrounded it in a triangle with their weapons (or in Teddy's case, bare fists) at the ready.

"You're a pretty fun guy, aren't you?" Ness quipped. Teddy grinned and stifled a snort, while Paula just rolled her eyes without a word. Apple Kid could be heard laughing hysterically in the background.

"Oh! OH! Did you just make a _mushroom pun?!_ I can't believe you have the nerve!" Shrooom growled as it got back up. "Humor like that needs to be dealt with in the most brutal way possible."

"We… might be in trouble," Ness muttered, his bat held close.

"Please, this thing's a joke," snickered Teddy. "Now that Paula's roasted the spores, it can barely do anything to us."

"You think I'm going down that easy?! Well, I've got news for you!" Shrooom spat. "You haven't even seen my ultimate attack, so here goes! Get a load of the Fungal Overgrowth Technique!"

Ness steeled himself for whatever it was about to try. His mind raced, imagining a suffocating layer of roots and mushrooms forming all around them to block their escape.

"HIYAAAAAH!"

What actually happened was almost disappointing by comparison. Shrooom abandoned all subtlety and ran straight at Ness, flailing its arms uncontrollably the whole time. Given the stoutness of its body, it wasn't even very fast.

"Is it serious…?" Ness asked aloud as it slowly jogged toward him.

"Who cares?" replied Paula. "PK Fire: Beta!"

The walking mushroom's entire body burst into flames this time, leaving it black with ash save for its comically wide eyes. One of its arms dropped off, becoming a pile of soot by the time it landed.

"Huh. That was almost too easy."

At Ness's remark, Shrooom cracked the tiniest of grins despite more of its body coming apart.

"Heh-heh-heh… of course it was… I don't know how, but you punks are way stronger than Master Giygas's initial plans were able to keep up with. I'd never be able to win against you. That's… that's why I have some help. There's another person who wants a crack at you, Ness… and he'll _really_ give you a run for your money! Gahahaha!"

Its laughter died out as Shrooom collapsed into a pile of ash. They didn't have more than a second's peace before a yellow light flashed in front of them, and an instant later something hard collided with Ness's chest. He was sent sprawling without his bat, landing several yards away against the cave's wall. Worse still, when he got a look at what had hit him he found himself staring up at a towering robot with pointed, snaking arms on its hips.

"Greetings, Ness. I have been waiting for this moment."

The Starman Junior's voice was the same low monotone as back when he'd met Buzz Buzz, and it didn't look any less imposing this time. Its formerly black visor now shone a deep purple, glowing in the darkness of the cave. None of the damage from their first battle was visible on its body, which had been given a sleek golden paint job.

"Starmen are here already?!" Teddy shouted. "Giygas's plans must be further along than we thought! There's bound to be others like it."

"There are no others like me, Earth vermin," it droned. "Ness! I _will_ claim revenge for my earlier humiliation!"

He was further separated from his allies when the Starman Junior swung one of its tendril-like arms down at him. He rolled backwards out of its reach and jumped to his feet, unharmed but also lacking his weapon. The robot didn't let up on its barrage, jabbing at his head with both arms from either side. Though he was able to duck beneath them, his opponent had anticipated that and followed up with a solid kick to his chest. Once more he was knocked to the ground, feeling the wind rush out of him.

"I didn't travel through time to be bested by a human child," it said. "Your earlier victory was only due to Buzz Buzz's assistance. Without him, you are nothing. PK Fire: Beta."

"PSI Shield: Alpha!" Paula cried, pointing at Ness.

Her psychic barrier harmlessly dispersed the flames before they could reach him, leaving him ready to counterattack.

"I'm stronger than you think! PK Rockin': Beta!"

"PK Fire: Beta," it repeated.

By then he'd gotten used to casting that ability without losing too much psychic energy. Ness did have access to Rockin's Gamma form, but the two occasions he'd used it on completely drained his stamina. He was lucky to have ended those battles so soon, but here if it wasn't a guarantee for victory he couldn't risk using such an all-out attack again. At any rate, PK Rockin': Beta was more than enough to overpower the Starman Junior's own PSI. The flames bursting from its visor scattered upon contact with Ness's ability, and the robot was hit with a multitude of colorful blasts.

"Oh yeah, that's how it's done!" Teddy whooped, charging in for his own attack. "Keep it up, you're a natural at this!"

He leaped off the ground and connected a right hook to the robot's head, but to their unanimous shock it barely even buckled under the pressure. The Starman Junior whipped an arm out and sent Teddy sprawling, then turned its attention back to Ness and Paula.

"PK Fire: Beta. PK Freeze: Beta. PK Thunder: Beta."

Its visor flashed a different color for each attack, a barrage of elements streaking across the cave to batter the pair multiple times. The only exception was PK Thunder, which rebounded off the Franklin Badge still attached to Ness's shirt and damaged the Starman Junior instead of them.

"Are you okay?" Paula groaned, shakily getting to her feet after the psychic onslaught. "The badge kept you safe, right?"

"Yeah… I'm not as hurt as I would've been."

Ness used PSI Lifeup on them both and grabbed his bat off the floor while their enemy was still recovering from the electrical rebound.

"Let's get him! PK Rockin': Beta!"

"PK Freeze: Gamma!" Paula yelled, putting in more energy than Ness had ever seen her use.

The Starman Junior's body suffered visible damage from their combined efforts, even freezing solid in a few areas. It made a strained whirring noise under the constant impact, and when their attacks had concluded it was missing a good portion of its lower-right torso. Frayed wires openly sparked from the damaged area, reminding Ness once more of their first battle.

"D-d-d-disabling PSI inhibitor sys-sys-systems…" the robot sputtered.

He paused. Hadn't it said something like that back then as well?

"PK Fire: Omega!"

Right. Now he remembered.

"Oh cra-"

Ness had never seen an Omega-level PSI move before, so he wasn't sure what such a thing would look like. What it turned out to be was a literal explosion of flames from the Starman Junior's visor. He didn't even have a chance to squeeze his eyes shut before the devastating attack washed over him, instantly reducing his flesh to-

 _"…_ _what? How am I not hurt…?"_

That was a bit of an exaggeration. He most certainly was hurt, sporting numerous minor burns on his face and arms, but the brunt of the attack had been absorbed by a PSI Shield covering his body. To his side, Paula's hands were still raised after she hastily casted the technique, a barrier around her as well.

"I… did it…" she gasped. It had clearly been one of the stronger variants, judging by how exhausted she looked.

Teddy and Apple Kid both had shields of their own, causing Ness to realize what she specifically had used. Like Buzz Buzz had on that fateful night, Paula defended the entire party with PSI Shield: Sigma. Everything had come full circle for them despite the adventure not being over yet. He might have laughed at the circumstance, but their shields all abruptly vanished from the stress of the attack.

"Recharging…" the Starman Junior droned, keeping its pointed arms on what remained of its waist.

"Ness, we have to stop it now!" Teddy yelled. "I don't think Paula's barrier can take another one of those!"

He flexed his fingers, and a sense of dread came over him when he didn't feel psychic energy race through them.

"I'm out of PSI! I can't use Rockin' again!"

Recalling how even Teddy's physical strike wasn't enough to seriously harm the Starman Junior, Ness began to panic. He was all out of options, and their enemy was preparing to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

"I might have an idea," Paula said quietly. "PSI Magnet: Alpha."

A dim purple light emanated from the Starman Junior's visor. Ness thought it was about to attack again, but to his surprise the buildup of energy became a faint trail that led directly into Paula's outstretched hand before disappearing.

"Heh… I can't believe I never thought of doing this anywhere else," she chuckled. "Ness, Teddy, I'll lend you a hand! Offense Up: Alpha!"

He gasped at the invigorated feeling coursing through his body. All of a sudden he felt strong enough to lift a car with his bare hands, and the aches he'd accumulated throughout the battle became hardly noticeable. Ness clutched his bat, taking in the energy Paula was giving him, and charged straight at the Starman Junior with Teddy hot on his heels. Yelling out simultaneous battle cries, they each delivered the strongest blows they possibly could against its body.

It wasn't until the rush wore off that Ness noticed he was only holding half his bat, the other end of it still lodged in the robot's sparking midsection. Teddy's punch, meanwhile, had completely shattered its head. The motionless Starman Junior sagged and collapsed to the ground with a noisy clang.

"Oh man, you guys are the coolest!" Apple Kid cheered, bouncing up and down from where he'd been hiding during the battle. "I don't think my heart's ever beaten this fast!"

Ness, though he felt exhaustion setting in, grinned and gave his friends a thumbs-up. Paula and Teddy both returned it with smiles of their own.

"You kids really are something else," the latter said. "Maybe you're even stronger than Ninten and Ana were back then."

They dusted themselves off and continued on through the tunnel Shrooom had been guarding, relishing in their victory.

"That was a nice save, Paula!" Ness said. "How'd you do that?"

She giggled softly and rubbed behind her head.

"I've had both those abilities for a while, but I kept forgetting to use them whenever we got in a fight. Magnet let me absorb some of that robot's PSI, and it gave me just enough energy to use Offense Up on you both."

"Quick thinking," remarked Apple Kid, "I like it! Are we at that special place yet?"

The tunnel opened up to a clearing where the snow continued to gently fall. Ness's eyes settled on a spot that appeared to defy the environment: a circular pond of crystal-clear water with a constant stream of rain pouring into it from an unseen source above. Like with the other Sanctuaries, his troubles melted away as he held the Sound Stone over the pond. Energy flowed into his mind, bringing with it another fragment of music. The gap between the melodies from Milky Well and Magnet Hill was filled in by the new notes to create a more coherent song, though still incomplete. He smiled when the faintest whiff of his mother's steak reached his nostrils, and once again he felt a renewed sense of confidence.

Five down, three to go. They could do it after all.

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **Sanctuary Guardian: Starman Junior-Super**

"When it gets desperate, it'll deactivate its PSI inhibitor and go all-out. It's much stronger than it was last time, but so are you. Work together and take it down!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Dr. Andonuts was tricky for me to write, and I really hope I did well with him and Jeff reconnecting. But that's for you to decide, so let me know what you think.

Also, Starman Junior's back! Is it a very strange choice for a recurring boss? Yes, of course. But there's more to it than you might realize, so stay tuned.

Next time: The evil power stirs, and another hero is called to action...


	38. Hatred and Emptiness

Chapter 38: Hatred and Emptiness

It had started with a twinge of pain.

When the red-capped boy claimed his first Sanctuary, the resulting pulse of psychic energy rippled through time and space, finding its way to Giygas. He felt the boy's power increase, and the sensation burned in his mind for just a moment. Confined as he was, there was nothing he could do to impede his enemy's progress but relay orders to his subordinates from a distance.

The boy- Ness- then reached his second Sanctuary. Then his third. And then his forth. With each place he claimed, his power was channeled through the Earth. The stronger his potential became, the more pain Giygas suffered. His perception of reality began to warp, flashes of his past and the tormenting memories biting into him at such a rate that not even the Devil's Machine housing his steadily breaking mind could keep them at bay.

 ** _"_** ** _Maria…"_**

His mother's face was the only thing he held onto even as his sanity splintered apart. If he concentrated hard enough, for a few precious moments he could almost see her warm smile, feel the gentle embrace she would hold him in when he was barely a tenth her size. She was forced to raise him, he later realized, but not once did she ever seem unhappy. Her loving care for Giygas remained in his memories for his entire life, even when he was tasked with invading Earth to stop her husband from threatening his race.

George and Maria, his family, also proved to be the source of all his anguish, many years later. His plans came to a halt at the hands of a young child in a red cap, the great-grandson of those two. It was he who'd begun Giygas's downward spiral into madness a decade earlier. He, that wretched human...

What was that boy's name again? He couldn't remember. The name was lost to him when he finally had a chance to attack Ness himself. Pokey had arranged to make him vulnerable, and Giygas confronted him using the body of... someone. It was such a recent event, and yet the pain he felt during it bored a deeper hole in what remained of his mind. He'd been defeated once again, forced to retreat for a second time. This loss had taken with it yet another sizeable chunk of his dwindling sanity.

And now, Ness had claimed a fifth sanctuary. Agonizing pain tore through Giygas, wiping away his thoughts of world domination and revenge on that boy from years ago. He didn't care about his people, or his home planet, or the memories of Maria. The Devil's Machine groaned around him at his surge of anger, feeding off his pain as Ness grew stronger. His mind was nearly gone, there was nothing left for him anywhere.

Nothing but his all-consuming hatred for this new boy in a red cap.

* * *

"Prince Poo! Answer me!"

His eyes shot open and he slumped forward, resting his hands on his knees where he sat. An aged man with tanned skin stood before him, his wrinkled face contorted into a frown. Like the Prince himself, he wore simple white robes which hung loosely around his arms.

"Are you all right? What did your vision show you?"

He wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead.

"Darkness, Master. I sensed a great evil stirring somewhere out of reach. Do you feel it too?"

The older man nodded.

"I do. This world is in grave danger, young Prince. It is time for you to complete your training so that you may help defend it."

He stood up from his red-cushioned throne and stretched his legs out.

"I'll prepare myself immediately, Master. What do I have to do?"

"Your final test is upon you. Go forth and meditate at the place of emptiness. Only then will you be ready."

Poo gave him a bow before stepping down from the throne's pedestal and setting off. The golden allure of his palace's rooms and corridors did nothing to distract him from what needed to be done. Such luxuries, he had long since learned, were worthless to a ruler who was unable to protect his people. With the completion of this last task, he would be ready to lead the eastern kingdom of Dalaam through the dark times ahead.

The weather couldn't have been better suited for the occasion. In the early morning sun, the Prince's domain glowed before his eyes. Soft pink clouds hovered all around him, coating the mountaintop landscape with a refreshing coolness. Just walking down the hill from his palace gave Poo an assured feeling. Citizens passed him by on the path, greeting him and sending well-wishes his way like normal. He would always respond with a smile and wave, but not say anything more. Today, his focus was on his final task. All his years of training had hardened him for this moment, and he would succeed no matter what it cost him.

At the lowest point of the path he came to a branch in his route. To his right was a sacred cave, only accessible for those deemed worthy by the spirits of his ancestors. To his left was his destination: the place of emptiness, a spire-like rock formation where Dalaam's sages frequently meditated. It was here that his training would come to an end.

 _"_ _This is it. On my honor, nothing will stop me."_

Another old man waited in front of the place of emptiness, clutching a wooden cane in his spindly arms. He was dressed in worn, ragged gray robes, stroking his bushy mustache with a thoughtful hum as Poo approached. They bowed to one another.

"Welcome, young Prince. Have you come to seek enlightenment?"

"I have. This is Mu, correct?"

The sage cracked a smile.

"Right you are. Mu, the place of emptiness. At its peak you will endure Mu Training, and should you succeed then you will be ready to protect the Earth. Your mind must be cleared of all disruptions, Prince Poo. Are you ready?"

"Yes. I accept this challenge."

"Ho ho! A challenge, you say? I can see your fiery spirit in your eyes… very well, proceed."

Stepping aside, the old man gestured to a rope hanging down from Mu's top. Poo took one final moment to brace himself before climbing up it. He sat cross-legged at the peak and closed his eyes, feeling the world slip away into emptiness.

"I'm ready."

Through the low, droning hum which had overtaken all sound, he could hear a deep voice.

 _"_ _Poo… I am the embodiment of your lineage, the spirits of Dalaam's rulers fused into a single being. You have come to this place seeking Mu Training. Here, you will experience emptiness. Your life shall be rendered empty as well. Do you accept your fate?"_

He nodded his head, though his heart rate had increased very slightly.

 _"_ _Then let us begin. Open your eyes so that I may see the future King of Dalaam's resolve."_

Everything was pitch black around Poo, other than the white outline of a bearded, stern face. The apparition was bald except for a long ponytail, much like his own.

 _"_ _First, I will break your legs,"_ it said. _"You will lose the use of them. Without the ability to walk, will you continue onwards?"_

His throat tightened, but he remained steadfast.

"I will! Even if I have to drag myself along the ground, I won't let any harm come to my people!"

A strangled cry escaped his lips when he felt both of his legs snap at the knees simultaneously. Poo dropped to his rear end in shock, his mouth still half open.

 _"_ _Well said. The fate of Dalaam is in your hands, young Prince. Will you protect it even without the use of those hands?"_

Straining to ignore the agony in his legs, he shouted back at the spirit.

"I… I will! My hands may break, but my resolve-"

First he realized that he could no longer feel his hands. Then the pain of sporting two stumps just below the shoulders overtook him. A ragged scream tore from his throat as his vision blurred.

 _"_ _You assumed I would break them? I did more than that, as you can see. Now, your legs are shattered and your arms have been removed. A true ruler must adapt when situations do not result as he anticipated."_

Poo had fallen onto his back, unable to push himself upright without hands. The spectral face loomed over him, almost smirking.

 _"_ _Young Prince, you are losing a significant amount of blood. Does this not concern you?"_

"I… am not afraid…" he somehow managed to croak out.

 _"_ _Impressive,"_ it grunted. _"Very well, let us continue. Next, I will remove your ears. Can you say with confidence that you will listen to the needs of Dalaam's people even while deaf?"_

Every nerve in his body was on fire, but still he nodded, gritting his teeth in anticipation for what would come next.

 _"_ _Prove it."_

The hellish agony reached both sides of his head, and again he screamed. He couldn't hear himself, no matter how loudly he cried out. If the spirit was saying anything, it too was lost in the abyssal silence. His vision flashed red before him, and he felt his own blood pooling around his ruined body. He didn't know how he was still alive, but that was the least of his concerns.

 _"_ _Your legs, your arms, and now your ears have been lost…"_

A series of words floated before his face, emanating from the spirit's mouth.

 _"_ _This is the means by which I must communicate with you. Having suffered so much already, do you care for the loss of your eyes as well? Does the thought of eternal darkness frighten you, Prince? Without eyes, without ears, you will not be aware of what occurs in your kingdom. Do you still believe you can protect Dalaam?"_

He felt his mouth move, weakly groaning "yes," but he couldn't tell if he was actually saying anything.

 _"_ _Hmhmhm. Let us find out."_

Poo didn't see it coming, or indeed see _anything_. The world had vanished altogether, replaced by the worst pain yet. He was on his back, completely helpless before the spirit and unable to tell what was going on around him. His life, stripped away piece by piece, was swiftly coming to a close in the most torturous method possible.

 _"_ _You have reached the end. Your legs, your arms, your ears, and your eyes are useless now. Mu, emptiness, has found its way to you- for you are nothing, Prince. Your mind, the one lingering aspect of your ruined self, will soon fade as well."_

He could neither hear the spirit nor see its words floating in the air. It was speaking directly into his head, its booming voice more forceful than his decreasing heartbeat.

 _"_ _Are you afraid? Are you sad? Lonely? With the destruction of your mind, you will lose all of these sensations. Shall I take that as well, Prince Poo?"_

The urge to speak found its way past the suffering he'd experienced, and he felt words come to his lips.

"No."

 _"…_ _no?"_

He wasn't sure if he was speaking in a whisper or shouting as loud as he could, but either way he knew the spirit could hear him.

"My body is gone, but Dalaam needs my leadership- just as I need the support of my people. The physical form is only a shell and may be destroyed, yet the mind and soul of a determined ruler will never truly die. For the good of my kingdom, and for all those who look to me as their leader, I won't let my mind be lost."

Everything was quiet as he finally succumbed to blood loss, his consciousness blurring until it was snuffed out altogether.

 _"…_ _wisely spoken. You have completed your training."_

And then he was sitting cross-legged again, squinting to open his eyes in the sudden brightness on his face. The sky, still a deep blue, stretched for as far as he could see. His legs weren't broken, his arms remained attached to his body, and the gentle sound of the wind reached his ears.


	39. To Summers!

Chapter 39: To Summers!

Ness, Paula, Teddy, and Apple Kid returned from the Rainy Circle in high spirits after their recent victory, walking back through the cave without interruption. No wild animals attacked, the Starman Junior's destroyed body remained motionless on the ground, and the temperature was pleasantly cool as opposed to frigid by the time they made it back outside. With five Sanctuaries down and only three left, Ness felt on top of the world. At his rate, Giygas didn't stand a chance.

He wondered where Ninten, Lloyd, and Ana had gone. Were they still being controlled? Did they know that Teddy, their old partner, was with him?

"This place again… huh? What's this thing?"

In his pondering he'd stopped paying attention to their location, and it wasn't until Paula spoke up that he realized they had made it back to Stonehenge. She was looking at a feature that definitely wasn't there the first time they passed through not long ago: a gigantic iron statue shaped like the eraser of a pencil, sitting in the center of the stone pillars. His memory flashed back to when he'd arrived in Twoson, and how an iron pencil had blocked his path.

"Hey, it's just like…" Apple Kid mumbled. "Ness, do you still have the Pencil Eraser with you?"

He dug a hand into his backpack but stopped after just a second.

"No, I gave it to Escargo Express… shoot, and that was back in Threed. I have no idea if they deliver overseas. Would it be able to get rid of this statue?"

Apple Kid shook his head.

"I build it to get rid of pencils, not erasers. If I had it I could try modifying it to take care of this, but until then it looks like we're stuck."

"Don't we need to get to Summers anyway?" asked Teddy. "Since we can't do anything here, we might as well just keep going."

Ness, though reluctant to abandon the suspicious area, nodded and continued the walk back to the lab with them behind him.

Jeff and Dr. Andonuts were waiting by the Sky Runner once they returned, both eager to hear how the excursion had gone. Ness recounted the events to them, and although the former seemed a bit disappointed to have missed out on another important battle it was clear he'd enjoyed spending time with his father.

"An alien robot, hmm?" hummed Dr. Andonuts with a rub of his chin. "You must be very strong for such a young man. I wish I could have studied it a bit, but perhaps I shouldn't distract myself from working on the Phase Distorter. The Sky Runner's modifications are complete, so you all can go to Summers whenever you're ready."

Ness paused, remembering there was something he wanted to do first.

"Before we leave, do you have a phone I can use?"

It had been a while since he last called either of his parents, and his father was surprised to learn how much had happened. Updating him on the adventure took quite some time, so long in fact that by the end he remarked about his notebook being full. His father promised to buy a new one for the next call, then informed him that he'd deposited a staggering $5000 into his bank account. Ness barely even knew what he would need so much money for, and he was glad none of his friends could hear the call; having that amount of cash made him feel more than a little self-conscious.

His mother wasn't as worried by his absence as he'd expected her to be, which both relieved and almost disappointed him. She joked about Tracy and King moving into his bedroom and "reorganizing" his collection of Nintendo games, only to hastily reassure him that nothing was lost when she heard his louder-than-intended gasp. Ness had to fight down a blush both at her stifled giggling and the bewildered stares of his companions. Speaking of whom, his mother was once again happy to hear he'd made new friends and insisted he invite them over for dinner. She struck the perfect balance of supportive without being overbearing, and he suddenly wished he could have learned that Teleport ability to visit home. Unfortunately, the trip to Summers would have to come first. He took the time to tell his sister about needing the Pencil Eraser delivered to Winters. She said it could be taken care of and abruptly hung up, leaving him with a confused frown.

No sooner had Paula opted to call home herself did Ness hear a shout of his name from outside Dr. Andonuts's lab. He stepped outside to find an Escargo Express delivery man holding a small package, presenting it to him with a wide smile.

"For you, sir! The great Tracy Harris from our Eagleland division said this was an important delivery, so we fast-forwarded it here immediately! The charge is $18."

Ness blinked. He couldn't decide what the bigger mystery was, how his sister was such a prominent member of the company despite only working there part-time or how she'd gotten a package around the world to him in the span of five minutes. Regardless, he paid the delivery man and took the Pencil Eraser out of its box, bringing it back inside to Apple Kid.

"Wow, that was quick! I'll give you a call once it's ready to deal with that metal eraser," he reported, fondly looking over his invention.

He noticed Paula was holding the phone very close to herself, like she was afraid someone would overhear her conversation. Her cheeks were flushed, making him further wonder what the problem was. Once she hung up and walked back over to them, Ness gave her a light smile.

"Everything okay with your parents?"

"Um, yeah. My dad's happy we have, uh, adult supervision," she replied with a quick point to Dr. Andonuts and Teddy. "If it was just us two, he says he'd have come by and picked me up… I guess he doesn't think I can be around boys too much."

So that was why she'd been embarrassed. As a blush threatened to creep onto Ness's face as well, Teddy snorted.

"Your old man doesn't trust you to take care of yourself? You kids would be just fine even without me, I say. Ana's mom never gave her a fuss about- scratch that, it's because she was missing… right, now I remember…"

Ness and Paula gave him a blank stare which he waved off, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't you worry about it, I'm just reminiscing about the good old days," he chuckled. "Are we all set?"

"Ready!" Jeff shouted back from inside the Sky Runner. "It'll only take us about three hours to reach Summers."

"Okay, let's go!" declared Ness.

He, Paula, and Teddy climbed in with Jeff to depart, waving goodbye to Apple Kid and Dr. Andonuts as they left. The craft lifted into the air, through the hatch in the ceiling they'd arrived in, and directed itself south toward their destination.

* * *

Poo jumped to his feet, unable to hold back a triumphant whoop after the completion of his training. He'd learned never to take anything for granted over the years, but even so he couldn't help his elation at having survived the torturous experience. He felt enlightened, more full of wisdom than ever before. Perhaps best of all, within his mind his voice whispered a short phrase into his head, the name of an ability he'd never truly been able to grasp.

 _"_ _PSI Teleport: Beta."_

Had his father, and grandfather, and all his ancestors gone through the same thing? Were they looking down on him with pride for his success? He took a deep breath to compose himself; he was getting too worked up. No doubt the Master would want to know how he'd done.

Climbing back down the rope, he rushed up the path toward his palace only to stop in his tracks at the crossroads. There was a peculiar energy radiating from the sacred cave, one he didn't recognize. Poo hesitated, weighing up his options before ultimately deciding to investigate. That strange, foreign power he felt could have been trouble, and as the future king he wouldn't let any harm come to Dalaam. Besides, now would be a perfect time to test his newfound level of focus. He approached the cave at a slow pace, wary of any possible ambush inside.

"…so, this is where he'll be headed next…"

His eyes widened. Someone else was in there, and based on his foreign accent he clearly wasn't a local. Poo scowled at the thought; how dare anyone trespass on the sacred grounds? Not even most residents of the kingdom were permitted access, but this outsider had traipsed in without a care!

Muttering a brief apology to the spirits surrounding the place for his intrusion, he crept inside with his hands clenched. He may have been unarmed, but he was far from defenseless. The cave's dry air felt tainted by the unfamiliar presence, though after Mu Training he wasn't afraid of it.

Poo rounded a corner in the rocky tunnel, just managing to see a person's foot disappear through another corridor. He charged after them, intent on bringing down this intruder one way or another. There was no way they were here on accident, as Dalaam was located too high in the mountains of Chommo to be reached by normal means. If they were here alone, the only way he could think of was teleportation, which Poo himself also possessed.

"Master Giygas? Huh… he's not taking over. I figured he'd want to see this."

The voice was definitely a man's, one in his early twenties based on his tone. Who he and "Master Giygas" were, Poo didn't yet know. What he _did_ know by then was where the intruder was going: Pink Cloud, at the deepest point of the cave. It was Dalaam's holiest place, said to give power to all the kingdom and its people. Ever since he was a child he felt the raw energy radiating from the spot, though he had never personally been there. If this mysterious person sought to corrupt it, the situation was even direr than it first seemed. Breaking into a full sprint, Poo chased down his target until he'd cornered him in the last stretch of the cave.

"Halt!"

His uninvited guest turned to face him, red irises seeming to glow as he stared back. As expected, even his clothes were those of an outsider: a blue short-sleeved shirt, beige pants with too many pockets, and a red hat unlike any kind Poo had ever seen. The man appeared to lack weapons aside from a smooth, elongated stick which he casually grasped in his right hand. It wasn't a staff, but rather some kind of club.

Despite Poo's command, he looked unintimidated and gave a halfhearted smile.

"Ah… hello, young man. I don't think you should come near me. Otherwise, I'll be forced to attack you."

"You're intruding on sacred grounds!" he shouted back. "I won't stand to be threatened by the likes of you!"

The man sighed, flexing his left hand's fingers. Poo took a half-step back when he sensed strong PSI energy within him but didn't let himself flee.

"I'm very sorry about this, but I can't let you go any further. Until the designated guardian is ready, I'll have to keep watch. This is your only chance to leave… oh, you never introduced yourself."

"I am Poo, crown Prince of Dalaam! If you won't leave, then I have no choice but to get rid of you!"

His eyes narrowed when the man gave a snort.

"Poo, huh? Are you serious?"

"Is something funny?"

"No… no, don't worry about that," he replied between his chuckles. "Different cultures are weird. Well then, Prince Poo, I guess we're throwing down. I'm Ninten, First Commander of Giygas's army. It's on!"

He raised the wooden instrument he held, then lunged for him in a blurred motion. Poo barely sidestepped his swing in time, stretching his fingers out with a loud cry.

"PK Thunder: Beta!"

Two yellow bolts burst forth, hitting his opponent head-on at such a close range. Ninten stumbled from the impact but didn't completely lose his balance, forcing Poo onto the defensive again when he skidded on his heels to take another swing. Despite his blunt, basic-looking weapon he was worryingly fast on his feet. The man backed away to a safer distance before he could be hit by another attack.

"You have PSI too?" he asked with an impressed smirk. "I'll have to keep my guard up. PSI Shield: Beta."

Poo grit his teeth at the sight of a translucent barrier forming around Ninten. He'd never been able to learn the psychic shield technique, but he knew well enough that at its Beta level any PSI attacks he tried would be reflected back at him. Unless he could overpower it with his own abilities, he'd have to rely on physical strikes alone.

"Don't think you're safe," he shouted, rushing in with his fists clenched, "there are more ways to fight than that!"

"PK Shield: Beta," replied the man, rolling his eyes.

His reflective barrier flickered, changing to block the punch as Poo charged forwards. Only one type of shield would work on a person at a time, however, and the Prince knew that. By using its physical form, Ninten had made himself vulnerable again.

"PK Freeze: Gamma! PK Thunder: Beta!"

The combined attacks ignored his barrier, pummeling him with ice and electricity to drive the man against a wall. Poo stopped short of physically attacking, as the shield was still active.

"Clever trick, Prince," he chuckled. "You're one tough kid!"

Ninten pushed himself away from the rocks and lunged for him again, but this time flicked a finger mid-charge.

"PSI Hypnosis: Omega."

Poo's hardened level of focus stopped him from fully being put to sleep, but his adversary was clearly more proficient with PSI than he let on, as a wave of drowsiness came over him. His attention broken, he could do nothing to avoid being struck by Ninten's weapon and knocked to the ground with an aching stomach.

"P-PSI Brainshock: Alpha," he hurriedly said, hoping to buy himself time to recover.

It worked, letting Poo roll back to his feet while Ninten stumbled to the side with a dazed expression, his mind no doubt having been scrambled. The technique was a simple one, but it had probably just saved him from getting his head smashed in. He casted Lifeup on himself and felt the pain in his abdomen disappear.

"Ugh, I forgot… Ana knew that one, didn't she…?" Ninten was mumbling as he rubbed his forehead.

There was a sudden ringing noise, and the very air split apart into a swirling vortex of blue light. Poo recognized that hole as the exit of PSI Teleport, bringing with it a pair of adults who rushed to Ninten's side.

"I guess we got here just in time," one of them, a white-haired man with round glasses, noted. "Is this kid giving you trouble?"

He backed away when the other, a blonde woman clad in black, stared in his direction. Poo could sense that she also possessed PSI, and powerful levels of it to boot. They were each looking at him now, bodies tense in anticipation of a battle.

 _"_ _This is bad… I can't take all of them on by myself…"_

"PK Beam: Gamma," the woman said in a flat, seemingly bored voice.

Outnumbered, tired, and unarmed, he found himself being casually blasted aside by an overwhelming wave of PSI. His last sight before the world went dark was three pairs of cold, red eyes.

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **First Commander of Giygas's Army: Ninten**

"He lacks offensive PSI, but makes up for it with immense speed and physical strength. You'd better put your own training to good use against him."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This story's passed 9500 views! Thank you all so much for continuing to read; it means a lot to me.

Adapting the Mother protagonists into recurring characters has been one of the trickiest parts of writing this. How would you say I'm doing?


	40. A Visitor from Afar

Chapter 40: A Visitor from Afar

Poo's entire body ached. It wasn't anything close to what he'd felt during his training, but he still found it difficult to move any part of him without feeling a twinge of pain. The intruders, though they didn't appear to have killed him, had certainly left their mark.

"Ugh…"

"Ah, you're awake."

He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, ignoring the pain in his head- and everywhere else. The gilded, albeit bare room was familiar to him: he was in his palace, laying in his bed. His Master stood at his side, offering him a damp towel.

"Are you well, Prince? You were grievously injured when I found you."

He accepted the towel and draped it over his hot forehead.

"I'm… fine, Master. How did I get here?"

The older man hummed, absentmindedly rubbing his beard.

"While you were completing your training, I began to sense a dark presence emanating from the Pink Cloud cavern. I intended to see for myself what was causing it, but it would seem you got there ahead of me. Once I had arrived, I found you unconscious outside the cave. Some unfamiliar force prevented me from entering it, so you are lucky to have been placed outside. I had hoped you would be able to tell me what happened."

He groaned at the recent memory.

"There was an intruder approaching Pink Cloud. He called himself Ninten, the servant of Giygas. I tried to drive him out, but two other people came to his aid. One of them- a woman- had PSI, as did Ninten. I was no match for them together."

Saying it out loud made him feel even more ashamed of himself.

"Forgive me… I shouldn't have rushed into battle so quickly. I-"

Poo was silenced when his Master held up a hand.

"I won't fault you for trying to protect the sacred ground, even if you _did_ act recklessly. There was no sign of these intruders by the time I arrived, however, so why were you outside?"

He paused. That didn't make any sense.

"They had the chance to finish me off," Poo murmured, "but they took control of Pink Cloud and left me alive?"

"Perhaps this was meant to be. The world is in danger, you must realize. An evil force beyond our comprehension threatens us all. What's more, the sage Talah Rama has been communicating with me. He believes there is hope against this danger."

Poo recognized that name. Talah Rama was one of the greatest foreseers in Dalaam's history, yet he lived in isolation far from the kingdom. He'd never met the man personally, only hearing stories of him as he grew up.

"What did he say? Is this what my training-"

"Young Prince. I was not finished yet."

Immediately he quieted down at the stern look on his Master's face.

"A-apologies, sir. Please continue."

"Apparently, his meditation has revealed a quartet as the world's saviors. Three of them have gathered already, a boy named Ness leading the group. You, he says, may be the last of the Chosen Four."

Poo frowned, tilting his head.

"Forgive me, but… 'may?' I don't understand. If the heroes _are_ the chosen ones, would it not be certain?"

His Master gave a light chuckle.

"An excellent question, and one that I lack a definitive answer to. Only time will tell if you are indeed the right person, it seems."

There was work to be done, then. Poo removed the towel from his forehead and got out of the bed, stretching his legs.

"Very well. Regardless of whether or not I am, if I can protect this world then I won't hesitate to lend my assistance. How do I reach this Ness?"

"Along his way, he is seeking out eight special places known as Sanctuaries," he replied. "Like you, he possesses knowledge of PSI. If you can attune yourself to the Earth's psychic essence, perhaps you will find him. I believe Pink Cloud is one of the places he must visit."

Nodding, he closed his eyes and began to focus. Poo reached out with his mind, sensing far across the world until he became aware of a distinct presence somewhere north of him. He concentrated on that feeling, and he knew he'd found the right person.

"I know where he is, Master. I'll be back with him as soon as possible. PSI Teleport: Beta!"

With that, Poo spun on his heels and was gone.

* * *

"Welcome to Summers, guys!" Jeff announced.

Ness peered out the Sky Runner's front window, watching the clouds part to reveal a sunny beach just ahead. He couldn't believe how long the sand stretched for; the beaches where he lived were nowhere near that big.

Before he had much of a chance to appreciate the sight, he was distracted by a sudden bout of dizziness. His head felt like it had tripled in weight, but strangely it wasn't a painful sensation. For just a moment he thought he could hear a person's voice, but it was an unfamiliar one's.

"Ness? You okay?"

It was over in an instant. Jeff, directing the craft toward a suitable landing spot, was raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I'm… uh… I don't know, I just had the weirdest feeling in my head."

"Was it a vision?"

Paula had taken notice of him and sat up, having been half asleep during the trip. Teddy, laying on his back with his arms behind his head, had dozed off completely.

"I don't think so, I couldn't see anything. There _was_ a boy's voice, but-"

What happened next was too fast for him to process. There was an abrupt ringing noise, then a flash of blue, and then someone else was standing in the midst of them, leaving the faintest scent of smoke behind him. Ness and Paula simultaneously let out startled cries, while Jeff was caught so off-guard that in a panic he leaned too hard on the Sky Runner's controls, sending it hurtling forwards until it impacted something and exploded around them.

When Ness came to, he was face down in sand. He didn't appear to have suffered any injuries from the crash, which he decided not to complain about. Wondering if his friends were okay, he pulled himself up and blinked to adjust his eyes to the harsh sunlight of Summers.

He could make out four other people in the sand. Paula was dusting her clothes off, also unharmed but clearly spooked. Jeff hadn't escaped without injury and rubbed his lightly bleeding forehead, and Teddy looked like he'd only just woken up, completely oblivious. The last person was someone in a white gi. A boy, to be precise, a bit older than Ness by the looks of it. His pitch black hair was tied in a long ponytail reaching to his back, leaving most of his head bald. He had more tanned skin than any of them, only making him stand out further.

 _"_ _Wait, is that who popped in before?"_

The stranger looked up at Ness, then immediately jumped to his feet and leaned forward in a bow. This was definitely not what he'd expected.

"Greetings," he said. His voice was deep, with an accent he'd never heard before. "I am Poo, crown Prince of Dalaam. You must be Ness, correct? It is an honor to meet you."

He didn't seem to be an enemy, even if he had caused them to- wait, what did he say his name was?

"Uh… Poo…?"

"Yes, that's right."

Poo's gaze was locked onto him, so steadfast that Ness couldn't even bring himself to crack a smirk at that name.

"Y-yeah, I'm Ness. You're a, um, prince?"

His friends were making their way over to them, all looking at Poo with expressions ranging from confused to wary.

"Also correct. You are in search of Sanctuaries, yes? I may be able to assist you in your quest."

Poo gave an additional bow to Paula, Jeff, and Teddy, who introduced themselves to him one at a time in between shooting Ness bewildered glances. He could only shrug; this was just as surprising to him.

"We're here looking for information on a pyramid," he explained to Poo. "Do you know anything about that?"

"I can't say I do. However, I believe I know the location of a Sanctuary for you to visit. If you so wish, I can bring us there right away through PSI Teleport."

Before Ness could reply, Poo suddenly narrowed his eyes and took a second glance at himself, Paula, and Jeff. His gaze hardened.

"Is, um, something wrong?" he hesitantly asked.

"…there were three intruders at the Sanctuary. You each bear an uncanny resemblance to them, but younger."

"You're talking about the Commanders!" Ness gasped, realizing what he was getting at. "You met them? What happened?"

Teddy looked interested as well.

"Ninten, Lloyd, and Ana were there?"

"Only Ninten introduced himself," replied Poo. "But they overpowered me and took control of Pink Cloud in the name of 'Giygas.' Now I fear they are defiling my country's sacred ground."

They all glanced to one another in a silent agreement of what had to be done.

"Those three aren't evil," Ness said at last, "they're under Giygas's control and they need our help. Are they still at the Sanctuary?"

Poo crossed his arms and looked down in contemplation.

"I'm not sure. Ninten mentioned waiting for a guardian to arrive, so it's possible they could have left by now. If you're ready to set out, just give the command…"

His voice trailed off, a frown coming over him.

"Wait. There's one more problem: I cannot teleport all of us at once. The most I can bring with me is three other people, unless I take two trips."

"I'll stay behind," Jeff volunteered. "You guys are stronger than me anyway, so-"

"No, I will."

To their surprise, Teddy had taken a step away from the group, giving Jeff a smirk.

"You kids are supposed to be the chosen heroes or whatever mumbo jumbo that guy in the monkey cave said, right? It'll be better for you to stick together. Besides, Jeff missed out on the last place. Go take care of that Sanctuary, and if you find Ninten and the others be sure to snap 'em out of it!"

"What will you do?" Paula asked.

"We came here to learn about a pyramid, didn't we? I'll scope out the town and see what I can find. See ya around, kids!"

Not waiting for any further questions, Teddy pocketed his hands and set off toward the beachside city. A crowd of very confused onlookers was beginning to form around where the Sky Runner had crashed.

"Okay, let's get moving," Ness declared. "How are we supposed to do this?"

Poo took a deep breath.

"Just stay still, I'll take care of it. PSI Teleport: Beta!"

He turned on one of his heels, then Ness's surroundings blurred into a blue miasma as Summers disappeared.

 _"_ _Poo, huh…? Could he be the fourth person Talah Rama mentioned? How can I know for sure?"_

This time, while they were warped away, he couldn't refrain from giggling just a bit at his name.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey, readers. Have you heard of Mother: Cognitive Dissonance? If you haven't, it's a really good fan-game bridging the gap between Mother and EarthBound. I highly recommend checking it out for an interesting interpretation on how the two stories are connected. Maybe one day I'll novelize it!

But that's for the future. For the time being I have my own plans to extend the universe... some of which has already been shown. The explanation for why the Mother heroes haven't come back to help fight Giygas? They're under his control now. And trust me, it's been tricky writing them!


	41. Dalaam, in the Far East

Chapter 41: Dalaam, in the Far East

The teleportation barely lasted ten seconds, dropping them at the top of a grassy hill. A pale blue sky stretched as far as Ness could see, and he realized they were actually at the peak of a mountain surrounded by fluffy pink clouds. To his dismay it was actually hotter than Summers had been, though not as bright.

"Welcome to Dalaam," Poo said once they'd settled down. "Pink Cloud is not far."

"Whoa! Check that out!"

Paula was staring up at a building that Ness swore was entirely covered in gold. A pair of elephant statues sat on either side of its grand doorway, trunks pointed to the sky as if in greeting. Each of the turrets on the structure's corners were topped by elegant, rounded domes.

"This is amazing," Jeff murmured, "it's like a palace- wait, then that means…"

All of them rounded on Poo at once, eyes wide.

"You live here?" sputtered Ness. "I mean, I know you told us you were the Prince, but this is _way_ more than I was expecting!"

For the first time since he'd arrived his stoic expression faltered into a more modest one, and his cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink.

"Ah… yes, this is my palace. Before we go to Pink Cloud, there is someone I feel you should meet. Please, come inside."

They followed him up the stairs to the enormous double doors, which opened to a gilded corridor with a soft red carpet stretching down its center. An elderly man, posture straight and stride not hindered by his age, walked toward them as they entered. He paused upon reaching Poo at the front of the party, and the two bowed to one another.

"Welcome back, Prince. I assume these are the ones?"

"Yes, Master," he replied. "This is Ness himself."

The man bowed again to him, Paula, and Jeff.

"I've heard much about you from the sage Talah Rama. It's an honor to have the chosen ones here in Dalaam, though I wish it could be under better circumstances."

Ness was still trying to wrap his head around the "chosen" aspect. What had the old man in the desert meant by "more ways than one?" If the Apple of Enlightenment hadn't shown him and his friends stopping Giygas, what _had_ picked them?

"Thank you, sir. I don't get all this, though… I mean, we're fighting to save the world and everything, but are _we_ really destined to do that? I heard it was Ninten and the others before they were taken under Giygas's control."

"The people who attacked me at Pink Cloud?" Poo gasped. "They were once heroes like you?"

"I'm afraid this is not something I've heard much about," remarked his Master. "Would you care to explain more of your journey to us?"

Ness looked to Paula and Jeff for confirmation, seeing them both nod. As the one who'd been on the adventure longest, he did most of the talking. He described Buzz Buzz's arrival, learning about the Sanctuaries, the various challenges he faced along his way, gaining assistance from new friends, and the looming threat of not just Giygas, but also his Commanders. When the time came to elaborate on what he'd learned about Ninten and company, he explained how they'd defeated Giygas ten years earlier, and how it must have been them who Buzz Buzz was looking for. Strangely, Poo's Master chuckled at this.

"Perhaps you shouldn't doubt yourself so much, Ness. He said he traveled back in time to find a red-capped young man with the potential to use PSI, and it would appear he succeeded. You and your friends may be similar to the heroes of the past, but does that make you less worthy than them? I would think not."

"I guess I never thought of it that way," he said quietly. "Back when I started off, I didn't know how to find the others who would help me. I _still_ don't know! Paula and Jeff just… came to me the further I went. At first I thought everyone else would have PSI, but Jeff doesn't and he's still one of us."

"That's something I've been wondering too," Jeff added. "What makes me special? Ness and Paula can both use psychic powers, and although I've helped out with my inventions I'm not like them."

All of them, Poo included, were silent as the Master began to chuckle again.

"I admit I can only speculate," he said to Jeff once he'd quieted down, "but it might be something simpler- and at the same time, far more powerful- than knowledge of PSI. Ness took it upon himself to rescue Paula, who in turn decided to lend him her aid. When they were in need of help, it was you their cry found its way to and you answered willingly. Each of you volunteered- you _chose_ \- to accompany one another. Your ability to trust in your friends is what led you all here, I believe."

Ness felt his face heat up, and a quick look to the side revealed his two friends were also mildly blushing.

"It sounds… _really_ corny when you put it that way," Paula mumbled, "but it makes sense too, doesn't it? Heh heh…"

"It does," replied Ness with a laugh of his own. He paused when another question came to mind.

"Talah Rama also said there'd be four of us. At first I thought Teddy was the last person we needed, but the way he put it… it was like we weren't all together yet. Who else could it be?"

Teddy and Apple Kid were both lending their support, but they didn't seem to be on the same level as him, Paula, and Jeff. He doubted any of the original three heroes were who he was looking for, either. The thought had already crossed his mind that Poo could be the fourth, but so far he hadn't felt the sense of certainty Talah Rama claimed he would.

"Based on the events leading you here, I'd say your final companion is your choice," Poo's Master hummed. "When the time comes, you will know who to pick. For now, though, it would be best for you to visit Pink Cloud. It may be one of your Sanctuaries, as I'm sure you have heard."

Curious, Ness looked at the Sound Stone to confirm the suspicion. It was glowing again, guiding him toward the sixth place he needed to find.

"There's something nearby, all right," he noted. "I think it's to the south."

"I'll guide you there," Poo offered. "With Giygas having taken over the cavern, there's no telling what you might come across. For now, I will fight beside you all."

Ness gave him a nod, and they filed out of the palace behind him, waving goodbye to his Master. As the group descended Dalaam's hillsides, they were constantly stared at by locals dressed in simple white and magenta robes. Whether it was because foreigners seemed uncommon, or just because the Prince was with them, he couldn't tell. Poo himself greeted his citizens along the path, though he spent most of the time further questioning Ness and company about their adventure. He sounded most interested in hearing about their meeting with Talah Rama, and expressed concern when they explained how Ness had failed to learn Teleport.

"Some 'mental block,' you say… I wonder if Mu Training would allow you to learn it…"

"Is that what you did?" he asked. "You teleported us all here by yourself, did that training teach you how to do it?"

For just a moment he swore Poo turned a shade paler.

"Ah, not exactly. It cleared my mind of all inhibitions, however… meaning no disrespect, but I doubt you could endure the same trial. Even with my many years of training, it was… _a challenge._ "

He seemed too uncomfortable to describe the matter further, and Ness could only wonder what exactly he'd gone through.

"Maybe it's something only I have trouble with," he mused. "Teddy did say that Ninten and Ana could do it, and it's not like either of them are around to teach me. Come to think of it, even one of Talah Rama's monkeys was able to teleport… man, this sucks."

"Is that so?" Poo remarked. "I didn't know monkeys were capable of learning it; they cannot naturally use PSI."

Just his luck.


	42. Friendship

Chapter 42: Friendship

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the entrance to a cave. It wasn't nearly as dark inside as it should have been, illuminated by an unseen radiance that Ness could even feel with his psychic sense. Before they walked in, Poo stopped at the entrance and bowed his head.

"Spirits of Dalaam, I bring these three to reach Pink Cloud for the good of the Earth. Please grant us entry to this sacred ground."

They waited behind him out of courtesy, not wanting to offend whatever watched over the Sanctuary- they had enough enemies as it was. Nothing seemed to happen, but after a moment Poo looked up again and beckoned for them to follow him inside.

"You must take this stuff seriously," Ness said. "Are there really ghosts here?"

"Spirits. And yes, we have long believed that the previous rulers of Dalaam watch over us from beyond the grave. My mother and father, their mothers and fathers, and all of my ancestors maintain Pink Cloud's purity… though it would appear these intruders have managed to bypass them. We must be dealing with an evil beyond compare."

"You don't have your parents?" asked Paula. "How long ago… uh…"

"They passed on when I was very young. My Master raised me alone, training me for the day I would become the rightful King of Dalaam."

Strangely, Poo seemed rather uninterested in the question. His voice wasn't cold, but indifferent all the same. Behind him, the three of them shared a concerned expression.

"Are you, um, okay?" Ness began. "It must've been hard without their support."

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? A proper ruler will adapt, one way or another. Come, I can feel the evil force over the Sanctuary growing stronger."

They forged ahead, following the Sound Stone's brightening glow, but an uneasy silence had passed over them. Ness couldn't imagine what his life would have been like without his parents, yet Poo merely shrugged off the mention of his own.

No sooner had he finished that thought did they encounter the first line of resistance. Two luminous yellow orbs floated at them from around a corner of the rocky tunnel, morphing in shape when they drew near. They took on the appearance of human skeletons, jaws stretched into cackling grins as purple sparks of electricity surged around them.

"Welcome, Prince," one of them hissed. "We see you've brought guests."

Ness first assumed they were meant to be there, but judging by Poo's hostile reaction that wasn't the case. He lunged for them, spreading his hands out and casting PK Freeze. Both skeletons backed away from the ice and retaliated by unleashing lightning bolts in all directions. The party was forced to scatter, as clumping together only made them a larger target.

"What are these?!" Jeff cried, firing at one with his laser gun.

Poo had managed to dodge the bolts and was on the offensive again.

"Corrupted spirits, no doubt. They normally don't manifest in such a way… PK Freeze: Gamma!"

One of the skeletons became encased in ice and fell to the ground, shattering upon impact. The sparks around its bones fizzled away as it disappeared into a white vapor. Ness was unarmed, since he hadn't been able to buy a new bat before Poo's arrival, but he still managed to pitch in with PK Rockin' against the remaining enemy. It crashed into a ledge against the side of the cave, floating to the top once it realized it was badly outnumbered.

"This is Conducting Menace B, requesting assistance!" it yelled. More balls of light descended toward them, phasing in through the ceiling. Once they were low enough, they morphed into additional skeletons.

"We have to take them out before they transform!" Paula yelled, swatting at one of the balls with her frying pan. "Jeff, do you have any bottle rockets left?"

"I've been all out since Fourside!" he shouted back.

Ness, thanks to the Franklin Badge on his shirt, was completely immune to the electric shocks. Any bolts that came his way were reflected at the skeletons, though his enemies had become aware of this as well and focused their attacks on his companions. In between casting PK Rockin', he would throw himself in front of Paula and Jeff to keep them safe from the electricity. Poo, on the other hand, seemed to be handling himself without his help and remained further away. They eventually managed to defeat all of the spirits, most of them sporting at least one shock wound from the encounter.

"Hang on guys," Ness panted, "I'll heal you, but I don't think I have much PSI energy left."

"Allow me."

He was surprised to see Poo wandering between them, using PSI Lifeup to cure the party of their injuries. During the fight he'd proven himself adept at using both supportive and offensive abilities. Ness couldn't help but feel envious of Poo's control; Rockin' was powerful, but something he had difficulty managing even at its Alpha level.

"Wow, it's like you're good at everything!" he laughed once they continued moving through the scorched tunnel. "Teleportation, healing, fighting… you must've learned all kinds of PSI. Can everyone in Dalaam do that?"

Poo blasted a stray ball of light aside with PK Thunder before answering.

"Knowledge of PSI has been passed down through the generations, and while there are few wielders nowadays it remains a prominent aspect of royal training. I've noticed you and Paula have similar abilities to mine. How did you achieve them? Were they passed to you at birth?"

Ness scratched his head, at a loss for an answer.

"Uh… I don't really know. I might've had powers all my life, but I don't think my parents are secretly psychic. It wasn't until I started this adventure that I began learning these abilities."

"I started to develop mine a few years ago," Paula added, "when my guardian angel first contacted me."

Poo frowned.

"Curious. It is said that latent psychic potential can be tapped into by proficient users. If this 'angel' was keeping watch over you, perhaps she herself awakened your abilities. As for Ness… you are a more troubling matter. That technique- Rockin', did you call it? Such a power is like nothing I've ever heard of, much less seen. In a strange sense, it feels otherworldly."

"In Moonside, Ninten could use a move just like mine," he murmured, feeling a weight settle on his chest all of a sudden. "But he was being controlled by Giygas directly, so I'm not sure which of them knew it."

"He didn't use such an attack against me," Poo continued. "It's possible that Rockin' is unique to Giygas… or it was, until you somehow managed to learn it. From what I can tell, the technique is highly dangerous. Use it, but use it carefully."

Ness was relieved to have the discussion be cut off by the Sound Stone shining brighter than ever. They were mere yards from the Sanctuary, by the looks of it.

"It's up ahead, let's go!"

Jeff, however, had shifted himself toward the front of the party and held up a hand.

"Something isn't right… every other place had a guardian, and I don't think Ninten would've just left this one unprotected. Where's-"

He was drowned out by a massive thunderclap, and the four were flung in several directions by the largest bolt they'd seen yet. Ness landed further back, a tingle still running through his body.

"Welcome to your sixth Sanctuary," intoned a deep, disembodied voice. "It is ours now."

"Well, look at that! They were _so_ close to Pink Cloud," a second cackled.

Ness pulled himself upright just in time to see a pair of ghosts swooping down at them from the ceiling. One was gray in color and had the face of an old, bearded man. The other, pale yellow with a leaner shape, constantly shifted between various mocking or deranged expressions. Both had long, spindly arms and snakelike bodies with no legs.

"We've moved in," chortled the yellow ghost. "I hope you don't mind, 'cuz we aren't leaving any time soon."

Poo was on his feet in a flash, glaring at them.

"You dare to defile this place with your evil? I won't let you get away with it!"

The gray spirit remained silent, but returned the angered stare. Its cohort looked at him with a wide grin.

"Hey, Storm… isn't that the kid Commander Ninten ran into? I didn't think he'd want another fight after the beating he got."

"I believe so. Prince Poo, you must not have learned your lesson. Though, for so kindly leading Ness here and saving us the trouble of finding him, I do applaud you. We will destroy you all together!"

"Face the might of Thunder and Storm!" the yellow ghost howled.

They circled around the party, trailing sparks behind them until they had formed a dome-shaped electric barrier. The effect was spread too far for Ness to completely stop it using his Franklin Badge, leaving them surrounded without a means of escape. Given the cave was already somewhat cramped, this only made them stay closer together- easy pickings for the dual guardians.

"We have to get out of this!" Poo yelled. "Try to distract them, it might break their focus on maintaining the shield!"

Ness considered attacking with PK Rockin', but decided against using it while backed up against the others. He instead opted for PK Flash: Beta, which he'd learned some time ago but never found the opportunity to use. Being so rusty with it and attempting to use a higher level proved to be a disastrous mixture, as when he conjured up the green ball of light it immediately detonated right in front of them. The resulting blindness prevented any of their attacks from landing.

"Check it out, Storm!" Thunder maniacally giggled. "We don't even need to fight; they'll take each other down _for_ us at this rate!"

"Concentrate, you buffoon!"

The ghosts accelerated until they were a pair of yellow and gray streaks, and the electric shield began to rapidly shrink inwards toward them.

"I can't see clearly!" Jeff cried to the right. He was firing random laser shots in the vain hope that one would land a hit.

Ness's own vision was hardly any better, as PK Flash made his surroundings blur into a yellowish mess. The electricity passed over them, and while the Franklin Badge kept him safe for the most part he could hear his friends crying out in pain. Though the surge disappeared after only a few seconds, it had clearly done a number on Paula, Jeff, and Poo.

"What fun! And here comes the finish!"

Thunder's continued taunts rang at them from above, which gave Ness the warning he needed. He leaped into the midst of his friends, leaning back so his chest- and the Franklin Badge- pointed upwards. Just as the yellow spirit dropped a lightning bolt on them, it collided with Ness and rebounded at it. There was a brilliant flash, followed by an anguished screech from the enemy.

"That was a close one," he sighed. "Is everyone okay?"

Based on the various groans he got in response, that was a "no." Unfortunately, their battle wasn't over yet. Ness's vision was only just beginning to clear up, but he didn't have a chance to gauge the situation before Storm unleashed an overpowering blast of wind from its spectral body. They were scattered again, and this time the ghosts looked like they were planning to single out Paula.

"Look out, they're going after you!" he yelled at her, trying to make his way over.

She still appeared dazed from his attempt at PK Flash, and as a result she couldn't prepare herself to avoid them in time. The ghosts swept over her with repeated lightning strikes and harsh gusts of wind, battering her to the ground. He sprinted to her side as fast as he could, shielding Paula with his body as their enemies began to circle around them again. Jeff, who had also recovered from his blindness, made another attempt to shoot them but failed once more. Thunder and Storm had surrounded Ness and Paula with another shrinking electric field, both chuckling darkly.

"We need to get you out of there, but they're moving too fast for us to hit!" shouted Jeff between laser blasts.

Poo called out to them from beyond the high-voltage dome.

"I just thought of something! Can either of you use PSI Magnet?"

"I-I can!" replied Paula, who Ness was cradling in his arms as he watched the electricity close in on them. Her voice was feeble after the barrage of attacks she'd withstood, but she didn't seem ready to give up.

"Okay, do it now!" Poo shouted. "PSI Magnet: Alpha!"

"PSI Magnet: Alpha!" she repeated.

The energized field pulsed a light purple in color then began to siphon into their outstretched hands as psychic energy was stolen from Thunder and Storm. Just before the electricity could pass over Ness, it vanished completely.

"Eh- what the heck?!" Thunder yelped.

Storm's expression settled into one of horror at the last second before Paula and Poo cried out in unison.

"PK Freeze: Gamma!"

Ness felt as if a blizzard was sweeping over the cave. A blast of sub-zero air tore through both ghosts, freezing them solid in an instant. Their mouths remained half open in silent cries of shock before the pair were smashed against the rocky floor and reduced to little more than chips of shattered ice. The last echoes of the attack died down within the tunnel, and then all was still.

"We did it," Poo sighed, sitting down to catch his breath. "Well fought, everyone."

"Good thinking on that last move! PSI really is fascinating to watch," remarked Jeff.

Ness, now that he had a moment's peace, stopped holding Paula close to himself and used Lifeup to heal her injuries. All of them were battered from the fight, but she'd taken the worst of it.

"Thanks, Ness. I'm glad the Franklin Badge protected you," she said, dusting herself off.

A pang of guilt struck him.

"But you all got hurt instead, and I even made it worse by blinding us… I should've have tried using PK Flash at a higher level than I was ready to."

"That technique can be unpredictable and difficult to manage," Poo commented. "Or so I've heard; I can't use it myself. Even so, it wasn't entirely your fault."

"The important part," Jeff spoke up again, "is that we won. Let's go get that Sanctuary."

They got back to their feet and made their way through the final stretch of the cavern, their spirits raising tremendously when they saw sunlight pouring in from an exit up ahead. Only one other object remained in the way: a marble-carved statue in the shape of a person with its hands clasped before it as if meant to hold something. The object reminded Ness a bit too much of the Mani Mani, but fortunately approaching it didn't cause him to experience any illusions.

"Is this the Sanctuary?" he asked Poo, who was looking at the sculpture with a concerned frown. "I thought it'd be, y'know, a cloud."

"No, the place we are looking for is up ahead. This is the Monument of Kings, but… it's been stolen from. The relics of Dalaam's rulers are meant to be worn by it. There are four: a pair of bracers, a cloak, a diadem, and a sword. My ancestors used them in times of conflict to protect the kingdom."

His stare was hard, but his eyes appeared shaky.

"I assume the intruders anticipated your arrival," he continued, "and took them from here after defeating me. They could be anywhere now."

Poo looked to each of them, then pointed at the exit to the tunnel.

"Please, continue on to the Sanctuary. I must offer my apologies to my ancestors; I'll catch up with you afterwards."

They didn't feel right just leaving him there, but he insisted they go on without him and clearly wasn't about to change his mind. Finally relenting, the three proceeded through the rest of the tunnel and exited onto a soft, fluffy surface.

"Wow, look at that!" Paula gasped.

They were standing on a cloud- an unnaturally solid cloud, apparently- suspended on the mountainside below Dalaam. A vast sky spread out in all directions, captivating the trio from the moment they arrived. The Sound Stone pulsed in Ness's hand as if Buzz Buzz's spirit itself was calling out to the Sanctuary, but he didn't claim the spot yet. Instead he continued to stare out over the horizon, over the far-reaching blue before him.

He felt another hand slip into his and reflexively flinched. Ness relaxed when he noticed it was only Paula, standing at his side as she looked away from Pink Cloud with him. She didn't say a word, but by her reddening cheeks it was clear she was thinking the same things he was. Also blushing, he gave her a light squeeze and felt her return it.

"…hey, Ness?" Paula whispered after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"I'm… really glad I got to join you."

His face burned, but somehow he remained composed.

"Heh. I'm glad you and Jeff are with me."

Speaking of their friend, Ness noticed he'd taken a step away as if to give them space. Fighting to keep himself from hyperventilating, he spoke again.

"Paula, uh… when all this is over, I-I was just wondering if…"

She raised her eyebrows and gave him a patient, hopeful smile.

"If…?"

"If you'd, um, want to do something together. Just… just the two of us?"

Ness wouldn't have been surprised if his heart burst out of his chest. Paula's eyes widened, but she nodded and beamed at him.

"Of course! I'd love to!"

They went quiet again, but Ness caught Jeff giving him a grin and a thumbs-up out of the corner of his eye. Feeling triumphant, albeit a bit silly, he returned the gesture.

 _"They're the closest friends I've ever had. I don't know what I'd do without them…"_

His thoughts turned to Poo. The loss of his kingdom's sacred items no doubt weighed heavily on his mind, and though he was a trained warrior Ness couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in his head the lack of a family was harder for him than he let on. It seemed the young Prince was by himself, in more ways than one.

"I'm back. My apologies for staying behind, everyone."

Ness looked behind him, to where Poo was emerging from the mouth of the cave.

"Have you claimed the Sanctuary yet? I admit I'm curious to see the process for myself."

They'd spent enough time looking at the horizon, and it was time to get back to business. He closed his eyes, raising the Sound Stone over the middle of Pink Cloud and concentrating.

Ness had gone through this process five times previously, but it still felt special as the Sanctuary's energy flowed into him. Another short series of notes floated through the air, and by then the song was beginning to sound more coherent. He was so _close_ to hearing the full tune, yet there were still two spots to go. It both excited and made him a bit nervous to think about what it would feel like once all eight Sanctuaries were claimed.

His mind pulsed with the briefest image of a girl in her late teens, wavy blonde hair brushed out of her smiling face while she spoke to a dark-haired boy of a similar age. Ness wasn't familiar with either, until he realized what he was seeing: his parents, at some point before he'd been born. The sight of them laughing with each other faded just as quickly as it came.

 _"I wonder what these are trying to tell me. I've been getting all sorts of flashes, but why? What's it leading up to?"_

He opened his eyes. The Sound Stone's light had faded to a gentle honey-colored glow and gave off a faint warmth in his palm.

"Teddy must be waiting for us," he announced. "Now that we're done, we should probably get back to him."

"I can return you to that beach if you so wish," offered Poo. "Just give the word."

Paula and Jeff also seemed ready to go, so Ness nodded at him. The Prince focused for a moment, then uttered "PSI Teleport: Beta" aloud, spun on his heels, and warped all of them away in a flash of blue light.

* * *

It was early in the afternoon when they reappeared in Summers. A police barricade had been set up around the remains of the Sky Runner further up the beach, allowing Ness and company to go unnoticed as they settled down into the sand. Teddy was nowhere to be seen.

"Thanks a lot, Poo," he said. "I'm sorry your relics were stolen. Once we get the Commanders back to normal, maybe they'll be able to return them to you."

"You are too kind, Ness," the Prince replied. "It was an honor fighting beside you, even if your means of battle are a bit…"

His eyes trailed over Paula's frying pan and Jeff's homemade laser gun.

"…unconventional. Nevertheless, you have my thanks on behalf of Dalaam for helping me cleanse our sacred ground. You are always welcome in my kingdom."

Ness cast a look to Paula and Jeff, both of whom nodded at him in silent agreement with what they knew he was thinking.

"…say, Poo. Why don't you come with us?"

He hadn't asked the question randomly; he'd been sitting on it since they first met him. Having Poo at their side during the battle for the Sanctuary, he realized, just felt natural even though he was new to the party. In some way, it was like he'd always been waiting for the Prince to join him- he just didn't know it at the time.

Poo briefly went still, but gave a small bow to them.

"I… if you'll have me, it would be my pleasure to lend my assistance. Helping the chosen heroes is the greatest honor-"

Paula cut in, appearing to fight back a laugh.

"No, Poo, you don't get it. You're not just helping us, you'll _be_ one of us."

"E-excuse me?"

Ness grinned and reached a hand out to him.

"There's supposed to be four of us, that's what Talah Rama said. I know we just met a few hours ago, but I feel like you're the one we've been looking for. What do you say? Want to join our team?"

After a moment's contemplation, Poo nodded. He shook Ness's hand, the smallest of smiles creeping onto his face.

"Very well. I look forward to fighting at your sides, everyone. I promise to do my best."

Paula stepped beside them and put her hand on top of theirs. Jeff did the same, then all three looked to Ness expectantly. Remembering that he was supposed to be the leader of the party (not of his own choice, mind), he tried to think of something inspirational to say.

"Okay, everyone. We still have two Sanctuaries left, but I know that we can make it if we stick together. The whole world's counting on us to stop Giygas, so let's give it our all!"

"Pffft," Paula snorted, giggling. "That was super cheesy."

"Yeah, but I kinda liked it," added Jeff, also smiling. "It makes us feel official."

"Ah, the moment we've all been waiting for!" a voice from above cried.

Somehow, Ness wasn't surprised when the black-suited photographer descended onto the beach and whipped out his camera. Poo looked more than a little alarmed at his sudden appearance, on the other hand.

"An ambush?! Identify yourself!"

Ness, stifling a laugh, put an arm in front of Poo to stop him from lunging at the man.

"Relax, he's not our enemy. He just takes our picture every now and then."

"Glad you're catching on, kid!" the photographer chortled. "The Chosen Four have been united, I just couldn't pass up the chance to capture this moment! Smile and say 'fuzzy pickles,' everyone!"

"Fuzzy pickles!" cheered Paula, who grabbed the three of them around their shoulders.

Ness smiled for the camera with them, repeating that title in his mind.

The Chosen Four…

It sounded good to him. With the quartet Talah Rama spoke of assembled, he'd obtained friendship to go with his courage. All that was left was finding the last two Sanctuaries, and the wisdom he would gain as a result.

That would come in due time. At the moment, he just let himself enjoy the presence of the new friends he'd made on his adventure.

And he was certain he'd chosen the right people to accompany him.

 **End of Part Five**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** In case you were wondering, it does indeed bother me that Ness is gaining wisdom, courage, and friendship out of order. That's what I get for not planning- or titling, I suppose- the story carefully enough. Oh well, I'm sure it doesn't matter much.

Anyway, the Chosen Four are together at last! See you at the beginning of Part Six!


	43. Summers, the Black Hole of Cash

**Part Six: The Chosen Four**

Chapter 43: Summers, the Black Hole of Cash

With their business in Dalaam taken care of, Ness and company wandered the shore of Summers to find Teddy. Tourists and locals alike were everywhere, crowding the beach under countless umbrellas which made it difficult to identify any particular face. Finding no luck there, the group climbed off the beach by a set of stairs to the main road.

Ness hadn't gotten a chance to appreciate the area before, but now he couldn't take his eyes off the various buildings along the street. Everything seemed high class and expensive, from the five-story hotel to the restaurant with an unpronounceable name nearby. His father's last deposit had been around $5000, and he suspected such a popular tourism spot would make short work of that.

"I'm not seeing Teddy anywhere," Jeff reported as they walked along the road.

"Was he the man you were here with?" asked Poo. "He mentioned looking for information on a pyramid, I believe."

Ness kept his eyes peeled for anything that could offer them what they needed, though he was beginning to wonder why Giygas had told Monotoli not to let them reach Summers. There was nothing pyramid-related he could see.

It occurred to him at some point that he was hungry. They hadn't eaten anything since they returned to Winters with Apple Kid, and his stomach was actively protesting. Paula and Jeff didn't look to be in much better shape.

"Let's stop in at the restaurant," he said after a while. "I think I'm gonna faint soon."

Poo blanched.

"You're hungry? I should have offered you all something when we visited my palace!"

Before he could sputter out more, Ness waved a hand to reassure him it was fine. They marched into the seaside restaurant to find had a gorgeous view of the ocean. Less impressive was the menu, which they examined in the lobby to find it exclusively contained dishes written in what he was convinced was a foreign language. The worst surprise of all came when Ness spotted the prices of each dish. Even the cheapest, smallest choices would add up to roughly $900 for them all.

"This is crazy!" hissed Paula after they left without buying anything. "What kind of restaurant charges that much for 'Crested Booka steak?'"

"I don't even know what a Crested Booka is," Ness groaned over the sound of his growling stomach. "But it doesn't sound like something you'd make a steak out of."

They were getting nowhere fast, until a shout from down the street attracted their attention. Teddy was strolling toward them, clutching a hamburger wrapped in foil which he absentmindedly chewed. He noticed the new member of their party instantly and cracked a grin.

"Oh, the samurai boy's here too. Did you go to that other Sanctuary yet?"

"We did," answered Ness. "Poo's coming with us from here on."

Teddy chuckled.

"And that makes four! I might've found something on that pyramid while you were gone."

Before Ness could ask him to elaborate, his stomach growled again.

"We should probably get something to eat first. Where'd you get that burger?"

"Outside the department store. I'd have gone to the food court, but I'm pretty low on cash and I don't have my ATM card. But it wouldn't matter if I had it; the prices here are insane."

Ness frowned, trying to grasp what he meant.

"Outside the store…?" Jeff muttered at his side.

Their gazes wandered to the massive department store, where a young pair were making their way out the door with their wallets in one hand and wrapped burgers in the other. Chatting merrily, they proceeded to drop their unopened food into a nearby garbage can and continued their stroll up the street without further thought.

All four pairs of eyes whipped back to Teddy, who for the first time appeared to lose his tough demeanor and rubbed behind his head. That all but confirmed their suspicions.

"No!" Paula gasped. "You _didn't!_ "

"There weren't a whole lot of options!" he hastily retorted. "You should see all the food these people toss without eating. I swear, they just LIKE to spend money!"

Ness pulled his ATM card out of his backpack, trying not to think too hard about it.

"Let's just go restock at the store. I'll cover everything, and you can tell us what you found out after."

* * *

Teddy hadn't been kidding, even the fast food was ludicrously priced. Ness bought a large supply of burgers to tide them over for a while, taking a not insignificant chunk out of his savings. He gave Jeff and Teddy, both of whom split up to shop on different ends of the store, each a sizable amount of money. They all went off to find better equipment- or, in Jeff's case, to meet with another of his enigmatic bottle rocket suppliers. Poo, who insisted he didn't need anything, followed them while silently observing their surroundings. Taking in a new culture must have been difficult for him.

Ness spotted Paula staring at a teddy bear twice her size, and something instantly compelled him to buy it for her. He would have, too, if she hadn't noticed him subconsciously reaching for a wad of bills in his pocket and blurted out a hasty "no!"

"Is something wrong?" asked Poo, who had just caught up with them after stopping to look at a different kiosk.

"N-nothing," she replied with a blush. "I… uh, d-don't worry about it, Ness. I've still got my bear from home, and that one's too big to carry."

She dug the maroon plush out of her bag and showed it to him as if to prove it. Ness' cheeks burned. Paula had stopped him from buying her a gift, and while he wasn't mad at her he felt supremely embarrassed to have acted so impulsively. Like everything else in the store, and Summers as a whole, the bear cost an outrageous amount of money.

"I appreciate the thought," she whispered to him as they and Poo left to regroup with their friends, "but we shouldn't spend so much at once."

"Yeah, I know," Ness conceded. "One day I'll buy it for you, I promise."

She blushed again and buried her face in her hands. His heart rate increased, not that he minded it. Paula really was adorable.

Jeff and Teddy were waiting for them outside, the former's bag filled to bursting with more explosives. The latter had abandoned his damaged dress clothes in favor of a bright red sleeveless shirt and even brighter yellow pants, and Ness could see the outline of a switchblade in his pocket.

 _"_ _Yikes, he must be more dangerous than we thought…"_

"All set to go?" Jeff asked. "Nice bat, Ness."

He'd finally bought an aluminum one, and while it had cost more than he wanted to admit it still felt good to hold. A bit lighter than he was used to, but it seemed much sturdier and wouldn't break as easily as its predecessors.

Teddy gestured for everyone to follow him, walking with a confident strut.

"So, there's a museum here for some place called Scaraba. I didn't get to go inside without paying, but from what I can tell it has the kind of stuff we've been looking for. Mummy caskets, ancient pots, all that."

"I know of Scaraba," said Poo. "It's a region in Chommo, to the southwest of Dalaam. I've studied its history in the past, but only sparsely. I'm afraid I can't say much about a pyramid."

"Well, let's take a look around and see what we can find," Ness said. "There has to be something here."

They reached the museum Teddy mentioned, the entrance fee for which was thankfully not too expensive. The group dispersed to examine each display up close, searching for a hint on what Giygas didn't want them to learn. Ness's attention was caught by a pair of very large caskets positioned upright against the wall, but neither of them seemed to hold the answers he sought. He looked at various mummified animals, fossils, and the remains of ancient artifacts, finding each interesting but overall getting nowhere.

"Hey! Check this out!"

Paula stood beside a large stone slab in the corner of the room. Most of its surface was worn away due to age, but inscriptions on its side were still visible in certain areas. Ness wandered over to get a better look and found himself entranced by a series of images. Human shapes, a conspicuous triangle with an eye in it, floating ovals with lightning sparking from their edges, and lines of symbols he couldn't comprehend told an ancient story.

"This big triangle keeps repeating," she continued. "I wonder if it's the pyramid."

The rest of their group joined them, each studying the runes closely.

"It looks like it's describing an alien invasion," remarked Jeff. "Those ovals could be flying saucers, attacking whoever made this."

Poo spoke up, a grave edge to his voice.

"That's exactly what this is. I can read what is said here; the language isn't so different from Old Dalaamese."

"Well, go on!" Ness urged him. "What does it say? Maybe there's a clue to beating Giygas."

Clearing his throat, Poo began to read.

"The invaders came without warning, descending upon our lands from above the sky with mechanisms beyond our comprehension. Our mind-powers were able to combat them for a time, but as they were not yet fully developed we could only delay their advance. The great pyramid was constructed as a fortress to withstand the invaders, though we found ourselves nearing defeat."

Ness was hanging onto his every word, both to listen for information on their quest and because the tale was just that enthralling for him. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that these "invaders" were of Giygas's race.

"In our darkest hour," Poo went on, "the gods of Scaraba revealed themselves at last and fended off our attackers with powers of their own. We rejoiced, though the gods warned us that the invaders had not permanently retreated. In anticipation for their return, we have hidden away the Hawk Eye inside the pyramid. A great evil resonates from beyond the darkness, within the Lost Underworld. When the world is threatened once again, it will fall upon the heroes of the future to obtain the Hawk Eye. Only then can the path to this evil's defeat be illuminated. Until that day arrives, the Sphinx watches over everything, waiting for the heroes to present themselves before it."

He finished reading and looked back at Ness, whose mind was racing with everything they'd just learned.

"So the pyramid is in Scaraba, and we need to get this Hawk Eye to keep going," he murmured. "Poo, can you take us there?"

"No, unfortunately. I cannot teleport anywhere I, or any of you, haven't been to without concentrating on a particular psychic force- such as how I found you, Ness. Scaraba is also out of our reach by land, as a great ocean separates Foggyland and Chommo where it resides."

"There's a port town not far from here," Teddy added. "Maybe we can find a boat that'll take us over."

Before they had a chance to continue, however, a ghastly moaning noise filled the air. Ness spun around and instantly saw the source: the two caskets by the entrance, their lids cracking from blows by whatever was inside.

"Something tells me we have a fight on our hands," Paula said, her fingers already beginning to chill with PK Freeze.

She was right. The caskets finally broke apart, revealing a pair of human shapes wrapped in ancient, dusty bandages.

"Iiiinnntruuuuudeeeerrrrssss…" one of the mummies groaned.

The other museum-goers either fled in a panic or, perhaps assuming some kind of show was going on, moved aside as the shambling figures lurched toward Ness and his friends.

"Finally, the history lesson's over," Teddy chuckled. He drew his switchblade and twirled it around his fingers for a moment. "Now it's time for the good stuff. I'll handle this one, kids."

He ran ahead without waiting for a response, leaping at the closest mummy with a mighty war cry. Dodging a swing of its bandaged arm, he delivered an uppercut to its jaw. The creature's head disappeared in a cloud of dust and it lurched back, clearly injured but not down for the count. Teddy didn't lose his momentum and spun on his heel to kick the mummy's chest, knocking it against the wall with another spray of dust.

"He looks like he's having fun," Jeff said.

Ness laughed.

"Well, he volunteered not to come to the sixth Sanctuary with us. Maybe he was bored waiting here."

"Bored?" asked Poo, frowning. "I'd assumed he would take saving the world more seriously. Then again, our party hardly seems conventional by most standards."

"You're too uptight," Ness said with a grin. "If we hadn't been enjoying ourselves, we'd probably have given up a long time ago."

A mummified hand flew past, landing in a pile of dust and bandages as Teddy cut apart the first enemy.

"Ha ha, look at 'em fly!" he whooped, earning a few impressed mutters from the small group of onlookers and baffled museum security.

Poo made a noise between a sigh and a chuckle.

"I suppose you're right. It's something I'll have to get used to."

Teddy had put the other mummy in a headlock as he cut away its bindings. Grabbing a stray thread, he pulled on the bandage until it completely unraveled and the monster collapsed into dust. With both enemies defeated, he cracked a grin and bowed to his applauding crowd.

"Maybe we should go before he gets any more attention," Paula finally said, though she was giggling at the performance. "We need to find that pyramid."

Ness led them out, grabbing Teddy by the arm as he went. They'd first heard about the pyramid all the way back in Fourside, and the time had come to fully investigate it.


	44. Anchors Aweigh!

**Author's Note:** This story's longer than either of my previous novelizations now, and we still have a long way to go. Thanks for sticking with me so far, and I hope I can hold your interest until the end!

* * *

Chapter 44: Anchors Aweigh!

Leaving the museum, Ness led his friends along the road until they reached the port town Teddy mentioned. Toto, as it was called, was a quaint little seaside village that didn't offer any grand sights compared to its neighboring city but seemed less obsessed with money- which they all agreed was a good thing. Rustic houses lined the piers, residents of the town wandering between them and chatting with neighbors without a care in the world. Compared to the bustling streets of Fourside and the resort, Toto was peaceful and still.

"This place is great," Paula sighed with a deep breath of the salty air. "I almost don't want to leave for Scaraba yet."

"I've always wondered what it was like to live by the ocean," said Poo as they strolled along the pier. "It's not as cold as I imagined."

Jeff was quiet, staring at the dock with a peculiar look in his eyes. Ness tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" he asked with a knowing grin.

"What? Why would you think that?"

Ness chuckled.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head. Whenever there's a problem you get a look in your eyes like you're trying to solve it without telling us."

Jeff's face reddened a bit.

"D-do I really?"

"Yeah, usually when we get into fights. What were you staring at?"

He cleared his throat and looked back to the piers.

"Uh… well, I couldn't help but notice there are almost too many boats to fit here, but no sailors."

Frowning, Ness followed his gaze and realized that every available inch of space in the water was filled by boats, most of which seemed like they were in no hurry to leave. The conspicuous lack of crews tending to them was something he hadn't noticed before, but now it was impossible to miss. It wasn't very late in the afternoon, so he figured there would still be at least one ship ready to depart.

A newsstand was set up on the sidewalk, presided over by a grumpy-looking man with gray hair. Ness approached him in the hopes of finding some answers, or better yet a way to proceed.

"Excuse me? Do you know if any boats are leaving soon? We're trying to get to Scaraba."

The man raised an eyebrow.

"What rock 'ave _you_ been under? No boats leaving for a while, kid. Maybe ever."

"None? Why?"

He practically threw a newspaper at Ness's face, not bothering to ask for payment.

"Check this 'ere headline. Damn Kraken's at it again."

"Kraken…?" Ness muttered, looking to the top of the page. His companions gathered around him as he began to read.

"Wreckage from fishing boat washes ashore. Yesterday, part of the hull and stern from the _S.S. Ummers_ were discovered on the beach alongside the main road. Witnesses quickly identified them as having belonged to the vessel, the rest of which has not been found in the five days since it went missing. The crew is presumed to have not survived the storm they encountered in the Scaraba Passage, and rumors of a colossal beast terrorizing the waters have resurfaced."

Having gotten the gist of the article, he glanced back up to the man.

"You think the 'beast' is the Kraken?"

"No doubt about it. Only one ship got away from it, an' now none o' the crew want to go back out. Got the rest of the town scared, too. Their stories'll keep ya up at night, I tell ya."

Confidence dwindling, Ness handed him the newspaper and turned to his party.

"Now what? We don't have the Sky Runner, none of the boats will leave, and Poo can't teleport us across."

He blinked, realizing that they were a head short.

"Wait, where _is_ Poo?"

Paula and Jeff seemed just as startled by his absence, while Teddy just scratched his head.

"I'm over here! I believe I've found a ship for us!"

Poo was further along the pier, speaking to a tall man wearing a shirt with blue and white stripes. He held something red in his palm, as if offering it.

"Over here, kids! Seems like you need a ride."

Ness ran over to meet the man, apparently a sailor judging by the white hat held loosely in his hand. Most of his hardened face was hidden beneath a thick, black beard.

"Ha! Your friend here makes a hard bargain," he boomed, taking the item- a ruby, upon closer inspection- from Poo. "This here gem just bought you five tickets to Scaraba! You ready to set off?"

"You don't seem afraid," Jeff said. "You'll really take us?"

"If the Kraken don't scare you, it don't scare me. Where's the fun in not takin' a risk anyway? It could only cost us our lives, and we got 'em for free!"

Reckless abandon wasn't what Ness had in mind, but it seemed there was no alternative. Besides, if the Kraken _did_ exist (and given all the other occurrences on his adventure, of course it did) they could defeat it on the way to make the seas safe again.

He _hoped_ so, at any rate.

"Yeah, we'll go. C'mon guys!"

As the Captain led them down the pier, he gave Teddy a quizzical glance.

"These kids with you?"

"More like I'm with them," Teddy chuckled. "I'm just some extra muscle."

"Hm. I hope they know how to deal with sea monsters, then."

"They can handle it, I'm sure. They're all tough for their ages."

Ness hid his grin, turning to Poo.

"How did you pay this guy? I didn't think you had any of this place's money."

"I don't, but I did bring a Dalaamese ruby with me. The Captain was willing to accept it as payment."

Now it made sense. Being a prince, Poo could probably have gotten all the money he wanted from his home. Though, upon further consideration, he didn't seem like the type to flaunt his wealth. He must have only given away his treasure because there were no other options. Thinking about it made Ness's eyes widen.

"Poo… h-how much was that worth? I can, um, pay you back for it…"

He held up a hand and shook his head.

"There's no need for that. It was necessary for the sake of our mission."

Ness didn't have a chance to reply, as they had arrived at their boat. It was of middling size compared to the others around it, but its weathered coat of white paint made it look tougher than the rest, like it had been through its fair share of storms.

"Watch your footing, or you could get seasick before we even leave the harbor," the Captain said as they walked up the ramp onto its deck.

He wasn't kidding; even at a standstill the boat swayed more than Ness would've liked it to. Already wishing there was a different route to Scaraba, he clung to a rail and tried not to think about how recently they'd eaten.

* * *

A few days passed. After more than a week of hiking and fighting his way across Eagleland, Winters, Dalaam, and Summers, having such an extended period of downtime actually caught Ness by surprise. He certainly wasn't complaining about having a break on their way across the sea, but there _was_ a part of him that itched for the next thrilling event. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline from all his experiences.

As it was, his most formidable enemy along the way was his own stomach. He decided around noon of the second day that once the adventure was over he never wanted to see an ocean again. Rushing to the ship's rail at the slightest gurgling sensation became a regular occurrence for him, and without getting into too much detail he felt like he'd lost a third of his body weight to the sea. PSI Healing, for some infuriating reason, would only cure him for moments at a time and he didn't want to risk running out of energy in case the Kraken showed up.

Teddy, for all his bravado, didn't seem to be doing much better and spent the majority of the voyage green in the face. As if they weren't miserable enough, Paula, Jeff, and Poo didn't appear to be bothered by the ship's swaying whatsoever. The three did their best to support them, with Paula even going so far as to stay by Ness's side during one of the stronger bouts and offer him some medicine from the first-aid kid she'd been given back in Twoson. It was comforting to have her with him, but boy did he feel embarrassed.

On the fourth night, the Captain announced they would arrive at Scaraba by the next morning, and sweeter words had never reached Ness's ears. Forget the pyramid, forget searching for the next Sanctuary, he was looking forward to being able to eat again. Very little stayed down throughout the voyage, and he'd mostly been living on water and lettuce from one of the burgers. Just thinking about anything heavier caused his stomach to churn.

Speaking of which, he was currently bent over the rail again, wondering if it would have been easier just to swim to Scaraba. He heard footsteps behind him, but when he stole a glance back he saw that it wasn't Paula. Instead Poo joined him, his normally stoic expression softer and more concerned.

"Are you all right?"

"Ugh… j-just great… does Paula still have that medicine?"

"She and Jeff are helping Teddy," Poo replied, gesturing to somewhere on the other side of the ship. "I came to see how you're doing, but I'm sorry to say I don't have any means of curing you myself. Frankly I assumed Paula would come to your aid first; she cares deeply about you."

Ness might have felt more embarrassed to hear that if he could focus on anything else for more than a second before feeling the urge to vomit again.

"Y-you think so?" he eventually managed to reply.

Poo raised a brow.

"I'd say that's hardly a secret. She's been by your side longer than any of us, it's only natural she would be close to you. I only joined you a few days ago, and even I can tell. Like my Master said, you wouldn't have come this far without working together so well. When we first met, I didn't realize how strong your bonds with her and Jeff are."

Ness's stomach had calmed down- either that or it finally ran out of substances to eject- and he leaned away from the rail to look at Poo.

"You're also one of us. I know we haven't been together long, but I think you'll be a great travel buddy."

The Prince seemed taken aback by his statement, much like when Ness first invited him to come along.

"'Buddy…' while I'm honored to be a part of your group, I still don't think I understand why you wanted _my_ company. The Chosen Four were to be decided by you and your friends rather than any pre-destined group, no? You had three others with you already, so why me?"

He absentmindedly scratched his head.

"Well, when we met Talah Rama he said we hadn't gotten all four of us yet. At first I thought he meant we didn't have the right people, but then we talked to your Master, and he pointed out we literally chose each other. I think that's the difference. Teddy sort of just joined us. He's been a big help, but he chose to come with us so he could find his friends, and he said himself he doesn't think he'll end up fighting Giygas with us."

Ness sighed and stared at the moon's reflection in the water.

"As for you… we felt like you could use some company. You told us you lost your parents a long time ago, and when your kingdom's treasures were stolen you looked really shaken up. I didn't think you wanted to just wait in Dalaam while we fought Giygas's army."

The boat had stopped rocking so hard, as if it could sense something important was being discussed. Either that or Ness just got lucky; he wasn't about to question it.

"…so that's why you're with us," he continued. "I made it all the way here from Onett, with my friends by my side along the way, and I figured you could use the same help. We chose you… did you choose us?"

Poo looked back at him with a mildly surprised expression. Had he not expected such a question?

"You agreed to come along, but did you _choose_ to be our friend?" he repeated, a half-smirk on his face. "You're one of us, aren't you?"

He blinked, then for just a moment Ness saw his face tinge pink. Poo gave a rather bashful cough and looked away.

"Ah… well, yes I suppose. I will admit, it's been a long time since I had anyone around my age to confide in. I'm still mostly an outsider to your group, but my travels with you have been… nice, so far. I made a promise not to let you down, and I intend to keep it. You can trust me, Ness."

His grin widened. Poo's stony-faced demeanor was already beginning to fade, which Ness took as confirmation that he had indeed been chosen in return.

"What kinds of friends did you have back home?" he asked, curiosity piqued.

To his utter astonishment, Poo began to quietly chuckle.

"If you must know, I was quite popular with the girls before my training took up most of my time. I'm sure it's hard to imagine."

It was. No matter how hard Ness tried, he couldn't seem to wrap his head around it. Poo, the disciplined Prince, was a ladies' man? He snorted, then burst out laughing.

"That's… wow, I just can't believe it! Did you ever have a girlfriend?"

"No, no. Even back then I was focused enough to not stray too far from my training," he replied, though Ness could see a nostalgic grin on his face.

He didn't get to enjoy the conversation for any longer, as mere seconds later the entire ship rumbled and rocked hard to one side. The pair staggered away from the rail, barely managing to maintain their balance.

"What was that?!" Ness gasped. "It felt like something hit the boat!"

The Captain was on the deck with them in an instant, looking much less hardy than he did when they left Toto.

"No, no, no…" he muttered, peering out at the ocean. The sea around them had begun to churn with worryingly large waves, and a thick layer of black clouds obscured the moon. "Damn it, we were so close…"

Paula, Jeff, and Teddy ran over from the other end of the boat.

"You'd all better hold onto somethin'!" the Captain shouted, making a mad dash for the wheel. "The Kraken's found us! I'll try to get us out of here, just brace yourselves!"

A torrential spray came down on them, soaking the party in frigid seawater. Another bump caused them to stumble, and then the ocean roared around the boat as something breached the water's surface.

"Argh, I can't see anything!" Teddy cried. "What are we dealing with?"

A colossal shape rose before the boat, but little more than a silhouette was visible under the dark clouds. Ness used PK Flash at its weakest level to at least see where the Kraken was, and got far more than that when the ball of light detonated around fifteen yards off the ship's port side.

Gazing down on them was a dark green, ovular head bigger than the entire vessel. It had no visible eyes, instead baring a set of fangs that each looked like they could rip a person in half. Red spines protruded from the back of the Kraken's head, and lighter green ridges trailed all the way down its serpentine body. From somewhere behind it, a thick, club-like tail rose from the water, indicating that the beast had to be a minimum of two hundred feet in length.

"It's right in our way," Poo said through clenched teeth. "We can't go around it…"

The Kraken's head reared back, and its maw opened to unleash a screech that shook the very air around it. When it finished, Ness swore it was grinning directly at him.

"I-i-it's… so…"

His entire body begin to tremble. He'd dealt with all kinds of dangers along the adventure, but _nothing_ like this had ever tried to stop him! How were they supposed to fight such an enemy? They were microscopic compared to this!

"Ness, snap out of it!"

Paula was at his side, gripping his shoulder with one hand and charging PK Fire with the other. She didn't seem anywhere near as shaken as him.

"I- how are we going to get out of this…? Can we even _hurt_ that?!"

"We have to try! I'm scared too, Ness, but we're not going to give up! We can do it! PK Fire: Gamma!"

She released her stored energy just as his PK Flash died out, illuminating the air with an overwhelming fire blast that exploded against the Kraken's neck. Paula hadn't dealt any visible damage, but based on its anguished roar it had felt the attack.

"As much as I hate to say it," Teddy began, "I don't know how much I'll be able to help you. All I've got is my knife."

Jeff held his bag out to him, laser pistol in hand. His face looked pale, but he was also keeping it together.

"Take a few bombs out of here. They're really easy to use, just flip their switches and throw them as hard as you can if the Kraken gets close enough. Do it right, and they'll explode on contact."

Poo was generating a ball of electricity between his hands, his eyes firm and unwavering.

"Here it comes, everyone! Get ready!"

Ness's heart was pounding right out of his chest. The odds were stacked against them more heavily than ever, but his friends hadn't given up. He took a deep breath and felt psychic power course into his fingers.

 _"_ _I made it here because of them,"_ he repeated in his head. _"We helped each other get where we are, and if we work together we can do this."_

It was time to put that theory into practice.

The Kraken lunged for them again, jaws opening to swallow the boat. Ness tried PSI Paralysis to stop its advance, making the beast shiver but doing little to slow it down. Poo waited for it to get closer before unleashing his stored electric energy as two bolts of PK Thunder. Paula followed suit with PK Freeze, and their combined attacks slammed into the Kraken's head just as it entered biting range, knocking it to the side. Teddy raced to the edge of the deck and tossed a bomb for further damage, but it veered away at the last second to avoid the explosion. Enraged, the Kraken let out another screech.

Ness was preparing to use PK Rockin', but stumbled as the boat hit a wave. His concentration broken, the psychic energy exploded and threw him back into Jeff, who had been digging for something in his bag.

"Oof! Watch it," he grunted.

"Sorry! What're you doing back here?"

Jeff wiped his glasses clean of water, shouting over the Kraken's roars.

"I've got a weapon that can probably help us, but I need time to set it up! Can you cover me for a few minutes?"

Nodding, Ness rushed back to the rest of the group and relayed the message. They formed a line by the edge of the boat, standing between Jeff and the Kraken as it rushed them again.

"Poo, can you use PK Shield?" he yelled.

"I can!"

"Okay, we'll do that together! Paula, Teddy, you guys aim for its mouth!"

He'd played enough video games to know that the biggest monsters were always weak on the inside.

"Ready? PK Shield: Beta!"

Poo repeated him, and the two generated a translucent white barrier above the boat. The Kraken bashed its face directly against it, not only stopping in its tracks but even recoiling as if something had struck it again.

"Huh? What's it up to?" Paula asked while she charged another PSI attack.

"PK Shield: Beta doesn't just block physical strikes," Poo said, "it also causes the attacker to suffer some of its own damage! Hasn't Ness explained it to you?"

Ness, try as he might, couldn't begin to fathom how that worked.

"I've never used this before," he replied. "That's new to me, too."

"What? You haven't even-"

"Shut up, here it comes again!" Teddy shouted.

The Kraken impacted their barrier a second time, crushing through it with a loud screech. Paula unleashed a blast of PK Fire into its open jaws, but any hopes that it would be defeated so easily were scattered when it responded with its _own_ flames. Its combustive breath effortlessly overpowered her attack, and Ness felt his heart stop as a fiery death streaked toward them.

"Paula, freeze it with me!" yelled Poo.

Mere seconds before the inferno reached the boat, they cast the strongest PK Freezes they possibly could into it. Their ice and the Kraken's fire breath countered each other, leaving only a thick mist in between them. Teddy took advantage of the beast's mildly perplexed reaction by throwing a bomb as far as he could toward it, failing to reach its mouth but causing an explosion just in front of its face. Ness followed up with PK Rockin': Beta, this time managing to score multiple hits against the Kraken's neck. He looked back to Paula and Poo, both of whom seemed too exhausted to keep fighting, then to Jeff.

"Are you done yet? We can't keep it back much longer!"

"Just a little more!" he hurriedly replied. He was putting together some kind of metal cylinder as tall as him with a series of buttons and switches on one side near the middle.

Ness snapped his head toward the Kraken again to see it had gotten much closer to the boat, and without Paula or Poo to counter it the beast was readying another breath of fire. Teddy shielded them with his own body, throwing the last of the bombs at it in a desperate attempt to fend it off, but none of his attacks did more than annoy the Kraken. As it drew near, fangs bared, something very small hit its face and harmlessly bounced off, falling into the sea below.

"Leave 'em alone, you monster!"

The Captain was on the deck with them, getting ready to throw a second fuzzy slipper. His surprise "attack" hadn't so much as made the Kraken flinch, but drew its attention nonetheless. It turned toward him with an ear-piercing screech, the interior of its throat beginning to glow orange.

"Jeff!" Ness yelled. "It's now or never!"

"Ready! Everyone, get DOWN!"

He was on one knee, propping the cylinder against his shoulder and pointing it toward the Kraken's gaping maw. Ness gasped upon realizing he'd put together a _bazooka_. As Jeff fingered its trigger, he threw himself to the deck and covered his ears.

A rocket burst from the end of the bazooka, sailing directly between the Kraken's jaws and detonating just before it could unleash its fire breath. Over the deafening explosion Ness heard it cry out in a strangled roar as it reared backwards. It head slowly began to retract into the water, smoke pouring from the mouth. Paula, Poo, and Teddy looked up from where they were huddled on the deck, and Ness got back on his feet to peer over the rail.

As much damage as Jeff had dealt, it seemed not even that was enough. The boat was suddenly rocked by an impact from behind, and no sooner had Ness forgotten about the Kraken's tail than its strike knocked him overboard altogether. He landed in the icy water headfirst, immediately realizing how vulnerable he was. Sure enough, when he broke the surface with a gasp for air the first and last thing he saw was an enormous mouth closing around him.

He didn't even have time to scream before the Kraken tilted its head back. Somehow he'd missed its teeth, but it was trying to swallow him whole! In a panic he grabbed onto what must have been its tongue: a forked, slimy appendage that thrashed wildly when he clung to it. His grip wasn't very strong, and he began slipping down toward its throat. It was too dark to see anything else to grab.

"No! Not like this, not like this!"

Concentrating on anything other than how equal parts disgusting and horrifying it felt to be in the Kraken's mouth was difficult, but he composed himself as much as he possibly could and aimed a hand straight down. Whatever the risks, he needed to go all out. If he held back even a little, it would be the end for him regardless. Taking a deep breath of the limited oxygen, Ness focused all of his remaining psychic energy into one final attack.

"P… PK Rockin': Gamma!"

PSI roared down the Kraken's body, tearing it apart from within and culminating in a tremendous explosion of multicolored energy just below Ness's feet. He was launched upwards, a sudden rush of water overtook him, something tugged on his back, and then everything went dark again as he felt himself reach the surface.


	45. Scaraba, at Last

**Author's Note:** The update schedule is going to slow down, at least for a while. Since the chapters I post are actually catching up with what I have written, I need more time to get ahead! Expect a new chapter every ten days or so, rather than five.

* * *

Chapter 45: Scaraba, at Last

As if Ness hadn't felt crummy enough on the voyage, his first sensation upon coming to was that someone had flushed his body out with seawater. At least that meant he'd survived the battle with the Kraken, unless the afterlife tasted like salt. He opened his mouth but couldn't do more than groan.

"He's waking up!" someone cried. The speaker was clinging to his forearms.

"Give the lad some space. He's had a rough time."

"Oh… w-where am…"

Ness's entire body was sore, and the world in front of him was a pink and yellow blur. A dim light shone from somewhere nearby, but his steadily improving vision didn't catch more than a glimpse of it before the blur suddenly dove on top of him.

"Paula…?"

She was holding him in the tightest embrace he'd ever had, slightly trembling against him. He felt tears against his shoulder, where her face was buried. Acting on instinct, he gently rubbed her back to reassure her he was okay. Jeff, Poo, Teddy, and the Captain were standing to the side, and it only just occurred to him that he was on a bed.

"Uh, what'd I miss?"

"We made it to Scaraba," Jeff reported. "After you fell off the boat, we all thought the Kraken ate you. But then there was a _huge_ explosion under the water and you floated back to the surface, unconscious."

He rubbed his throbbing forehead, remembering how much energy he'd put into that last attack.

"So… we beat the Kraken?"

"Beat it?" the Captain chortled. "You did more than that, lad, there was nothin' _left_ of the beast! I don't know what kind of superpowers those were, but you just made the seas safe for travel again. And for that, I tip my cap to you all."

He backed away from the bed, waving goodbye to them.

"I'd best return to Summers now. My wife's probably worried sick, and I have to tell all the other sailors they can leave again. It was good travelin' with you, take care!"

As he left the dimly-lit room, Paula finally let go of Ness and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were slightly red, but she was smiling.

"We were really scared," she said shakily. "I… I thought you were gone when that thing swallowed you."

"So did I," he managed to laugh despite the ache in his… well, everywhere. "How long was I out for?"

"Only a few hours," said Poo. "We've learned from the locals that the pyramid is just south of this village. Once you're ready to leave we'll set out."

"Aw, I slept through the exploring?" Ness chuckled. "I guess you guys got tired of waiting for me and checked it out yourself."

Teddy smirked.

"Not all of us. Paula stayed behind to take care of you. She's been like your personal nurse for the last few days, huh?"

Both of them reddened, but Ness had to admit he wasn't wrong. In fact, he felt incredibly touched by the gesture on her part.

"Thanks, Paula," he mumbled. "I need to make it up to you sometime."

For the moment, however, he pulled himself upright in the bed and stretched. Soreness aside, they couldn't wait any longer.

"Let's roll. We have a pyramid to find!"

It occurred to him on the way out that they were in a hotel. A hot, stuffy-aired hotel at that. He soon discovered that it wasn't the building's fault, but rather that Scaraba itself was _scorching_.

Any complaints he had about the Dusty Dunes Desert were instantly surpassed by the blinding sunlight and a temperature that made even the hottest summer days in Onett seem pleasant. Residents of the small village they'd arrived at shuffled between the sandstone brick buildings dressed in loose, lightly colored robes which seemed far more practical. So much so, in fact, that Ness bought similar outfits for all of them from a market established in the southeastern corner of town.

The place reminded him of Burglin Park as far back as Twoson, with its vendors hawking their wares out in the open for all to see. Paula must have felt the same, because she seemed right at home there and did a surprisingly good job at haggling for prices. After the financially ruinous trip to Summers, they needed to save as much as they could.

"We haven't had many tourists lately," one merchant who sold them five bowls of thick, hot soup remarked. "Are you going to see the pyramid?"

Ness nodded between spoonfuls of his first proper meal in days. He ate at a speed which his mother certainly would have scolded him for, but after puking up his body weight on the boat etiquette wasn't his highest priority.

"Yeah. Do you know anything about it?"

"Only stories," the man said. "Nobody has ever been able to enter for longer than I can remember. The front entrance is sealed off, guarded by a great Sphinx."

That checked out with what they'd learned in Summers, so the only problem was getting into the pyramid. On the plus side, if the entrance was still closed then Giygas's forces might not have gotten in either.

They left town through the southernmost gate and found themselves staring down a long, _long_ stretch of barren desert. The pyramid could be seen in the distance, a sharp peak in the late midday sun.

Ness groaned, adjusted his backpack, and gestured for the others to follow him into the desert. This was going to be a long walk.

* * *

Buying those robes at the market, Ness realized, may have saved their lives.

The new clothes were designed specifically to deal with the desert heat, and it wasn't until they had set off toward the pyramid that he truly appreciated the functionality. In their normal outfits they would have baked alive in less than an hour, and the robes reduced the heat from life-threatening to merely unbearable. His hair clung to his head, he was drenched in sweat, and he suspected he smelled terrible. Paula and especially Jeff weren't doing much better, and Teddy had become rather short-tempered and refused to speak much during the walk. He spent most of it staring straight at the ground, except to occasionally glance behind them at nothing Ness could see. Mirages, perhaps. Poo, who was more used to the climate given Scaraba's relatively close proximity to Dalaam, fared the best of them all and took the lead.

"We're almost there!" Ness heard him announce after three torturous hours.

They had reached the shadow of the pyramid and proceeded to collapse in it, gasping for breath. Paula came to their rescue by passing around bottles of water they'd stocked up on in Summers, one of which Ness downed in three very large gulps.

"You know," Jeff panted, "sometimes this hero stuff is the worst."

The rest of them muttered various agreements, save for Poo who had already wandered around the pyramid's side to investigate the entrance. After resting for a few more minutes, they got back up to join him.

Despite all the trouble they had reaching it, the structure was still a sight to behold. It dwarfed even the tallest buildings Ness had seen thus far, and just by standing there he could feel the pyramid had a certain energy about it. There was a strong psychic resonance in the area which made him shiver slightly, but a curious glance at the Sound Stone didn't indicate the presence of a Sanctuary.

Guarding the front was an enormous, crouching statue he assumed was the Sphinx. He'd seen pictures of the legendary creatures in books back in Onett, but those didn't remotely compare to the real thing. It had a lion-like body topped with a human face, its stone gaze almost seeming alive as it stared them down. The Sphinx sat against the pyramid's entrance, blocking their way with its massive figure.

"We made it at last!" Ness cheered. It felt like it had been so long since they first learned of the pyramid from Monotoli, and there was something satisfying about standing right before his destination.

"How do we get inside?" asked Paula. "We don't have to fight our way past this, do we?"

Ness strolled up to the great statue and rapped his knuckles against its paw. There was no reaction, so he backed away to rejoin the others in front of it.

"Poo, do you remember what that slab back in Summers told us to do?"

"I believe it said we have to 'present' ourselves before it," he replied. "But it didn't seem to give any information more specific than that."

Jeff rubbed his chin, staring at the Sphinx's face.

"We're standing right in front of it, and nothing's happening. Are we missing something?"

"Maybe we need to prove we're the heroes it's been waiting for?" suggested Paula.

"But if destiny didn't pick us," Ness groaned, "and we chose each other, how would it even know who it needs to let in?"

They discussed potential means of "proving" themselves, growing increasingly frustrated by their lack of progress and the unforgiving sunlight. Just as tempers were beginning to escalate, the Sphinx suddenly made a low groaning noise and very slowly dragged itself to its feet before their bewildered eyes.

"Four chosen hearts," a deep voice boomed from no visible source, "your coming has long been awaited. The Hawk Eye awaits retrieval in the deepest point of the pyramid. Enter, warriors, and search for it in defense of the world."

Moving its stone legs as if they were organic, the Sphinx took a few steps forward to reveal the structure's darkened entrance behind it. Ness wasn't sure what they'd done to earn access until he glanced to the side and noticed that Teddy was no longer standing with them before the pyramid. He'd backed away several yards, looking on with a faint smirk.

"I think I was the problem!" he exclaimed, walking back over to them. "It's been waiting for the Chosen Four, and I guess since I was also here it didn't think you'd arrived. Talk about picky!"

As he approached, the Sphinx stomped one of its feet in front of him, preventing Teddy from getting any closer.

"Only the Chosen may enter."

"He's with us!" Ness yelled at it. "Let him in, too!"

It neither responded nor moved its foot out of the way, and when Teddy tried to walk around it the Sphinx stared directly at him, eyes expressionless yet still imposing. He clearly got the message, because he put his hands up and backed away.

"Heh… sorry, kids, but I guess I can't go any further. You'll have to handle this yourselves."

Ness felt a strange weight in his stomach. Teddy had been with them since they left Fourside, and even though he admitted to not being a hero like them, just leaving him behind didn't seem right after their travels together.

"What will you do now?" Paula asked, a similar look of concern on her face.

As if to reassure them, he just smirked.

"I'll just wait out here until you get back with the Hawk Eye. Got nowhere else to go for the time being."

Ness dug in his backpack for some of his spare food and water, which he walked over to Teddy. The Sphinx didn't seem to mind.

"Here. It could take us a while to find it, so you can have these."

His eyes widened ever so slightly behind his red sunglasses, and he gave a quiet chuckle, accepting just one wrapped burger and water bottle each.

"You're a good kid, Ness. You all are. I can make do with these, you'd better hang on to the rest of it."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

To his surprise, Teddy gave him a firm slap on the back.

"Hey. Give me more credit, will ya? A little heat's not gonna do me in, so don't you worry. I know you can do this; you, Paula, and Poo have your PSI, and Jeff's got those explosives. You'll be fine without me."

Ness blinked. He'd always maintained confidence in them, but something about the way he spoke sounded… off. Before he could have a chance to ask, however, Teddy spun him around by his shoulders and gently shoved him back toward the pyramid.

"Off you go."

Casting one final look back at him, Ness sighed and led the others into the darkened entrance.

* * *

Once the four children disappeared into the pyramid, the Sphinx shifted itself back in front of it and sat down again. Teddy wiped some sweat off his forehead, chuckling to himself one more time.

"Hey, Sphinx. You make sure nobody gets in to hurt those kids, all right?"

Then his smile faded. His hand drifted into his robe pocket, withdrawing his switchblade as a harder expression overtook him. He turned, looking at the person who had suddenly arrived not far from the pyramid. What struck him first was her manner of dress; she wore white desert robes like them but also had a wide-brimmed sunhat colored pink, as well as pitch black sunglasses covering her eyes. The distracting color clash didn't distract him from her vibrant blonde hair, the shade of which was more than a little familiar.

"…I knew someone was tailing us," Teddy said after a moment of tense silence. "That's you, right Ana?"

Her lips were curved into an unimpressed frown, and she took a step closer.

"Look at you, all grown up!" he continued, unable to hide a grin as memories of their travels together came back to him. "How're Ninten and Lloyd?"

Once again she didn't respond and kept walking toward him, around ten yards away.

"Right, right, I've heard everything from the kids. Even if you _are_ under Giygas's control, I know my old buddy's still in there. And as much as I don't want to fight, I get the feeling you're here to try and stop them."

"…get out of my way," Ana said at last.

His smirk only widened, and he crossed his arms.

"Ooh, someone's all big and bad now. I hate to tell you this, but you're not getting into the pyramid. It won't let anyone other than those four kids inside."

"Four of them? Tell me who the last one is, and what they're looking for, and you can walk away from this unharmed," Ana offered, her tone cool.

"Nope. You didn't really think that'd work, did you?"

She scowled at him behind her sunglasses and paused in her step, pointing two fingers at him. Teddy threw himself to the side just in time to avoid her PK Freeze, which kicked up a large sand cloud to his right.

"It doesn't matter; I'll find out myself. You can't stop Giygas, or even me."

"Of course _I_ can't. I wasn't there to fight him with you, and I'm not one of the new heroes. But I know those kids will be able to win, same as you three did. And just like back then, I've done my part to keep 'em safe."

"PK Freeze: Alpha," she repeated.

Teddy stumbled in the sand as he tried to dodge her second blast and received a hit to his side. He fell to one knee, clutching the injury as she started toward him again.

"Don't make me hurt you anymore," Ana muttered, a short but very noticeable shake in her voice.

He looked up just in time to see her rub at her forehead, which he'd heard was the telltale sign of the Commanders fighting Giygas's influence. She couldn't shake it off completely, however, as within seconds the hardened scowl on her face had returned and she was pointing her fingers at his forehead.

"Anything else to say?" she nearly spat.

"Yeah…" Teddy chuckled, looking her in the eyes through both their sunglasses. "Remember what I told you guys way back then? 'Peace can be brought back to us.' The fight ain't over yet, but I still believe it."

When her fingers pulsed, charging more psychic power, he closed his eyes with a smirk.

 _"_ _I've helped those kids as much as I can. They'll stop Giygas once and for all."_

He believed.


	46. The Pyramid

Chapter 46: The Pyramid

Ness had expected a dark, dusty, stuffy-aired tunnel beyond the pyramid's entrance, but to his utter delight it was none of those. An intricate system of tiny gaps in the brickwork allowed air and sunlight to filter through the hall while keeping excess sand out, making it one of the most comfortable locations he'd explored yet. Even the temperature was milder than outside. Best of all, nothing was coming out to attack them.

"It's like we're in a movie," Paula chirped. "Exploring ancient ruins, looking for treasures… this is fun!"

"Isn't our whole adventure like a movie?" asked Jeff, scratching his head.

"Well, yeah, but like a _specific_ movie. You know, like that one about the guy with the hat and the whip?"

Ness cracked a smile.

"I think I've seen that. Uh… I can't remember the name."

To his surprise, she also seemed confused.

"I can't either. Weird. But you guys know what I'm talking about, right?"

"I don't," Jeff replied, shoulders slumping. "The only movies I've ever seen were romantic comedies Tony had back in Snow Wood."

"That's it?!" Paula gasped. "Not even any sci-fi movies? You seem the type for those."

"Never seen any. Instead I have every cheesy confession under the sun forever burned into my brain."

The tunnel brought them down a long staircase, the walls of which were adorned with carved images like they'd seen in Summers. More tales of the alien invasion a thousand years ago played out before them, drawing Ness's attention away from the movie discussion. He couldn't take his eyes off one repeated image in particular: a thin figure with long, pointed fingers raised above its almost catlike head. A series of sparks and rays emanated from between its arms, raining destruction on its surroundings. Looking closer, he realized the patterns of it were familiar. _Too_ familiar.

"…well, what about you, Poo?" he heard Paula ask. "Did you get to see any movies in Dalaam?"

"Sadly, no. Even television is still relatively new to us, but we _have_ had traditional theatre performances since- Ness, what is it?"

He'd stopped descending the stairs, and the others gathered around him. Ness pointed at the figure with a slightly trembling hand, suddenly finding it difficult to speak.

"Is that PSI it's using?" Paula asked, squinting at the inhuman shape. "It looks like… like your attack, Ness…"

Though the hieroglyphics were limited in their ability to portray it, there was no mistaking the psychic barrage from which countless human shapes fled in terror.

"It is," he said quietly. "That's PK Rockin', just like what I have. Just like what Giygas had when he was controlling Ninten in Moonside."

Jeff's eyes traced across the scene of the battle. Entire cities collapsed before the devastating shockwaves.

"It looks like it caused a lot of damage. You're strong, Ness, but this is just… _insane…_ "

"None of the invaders seem to be using elemental PSI, like Fire or Freeze," Poo remarked, descending a few more steps to check other hieroglyphics. "It appears the humans from back then wielded primitive forms of those techniques, but their attackers had no knowledge of them."

Ness felt his heart begin to pound. The magnitude of the power he held was slowly settling in his mind. With no further images to study, they continued making their way downstairs.

"But… why do _I_ know Rockin' if it's not a human ability? And what about the Starman? If he was made by the aliens, how did he know Fire, Freeze, and Thunder?"

Poo scratched his head, brows furrowed.

"That invasion was over a thousand years ago. Knowledge of elemental PSI could have been discovered by the aliens and used in their favor, but that would mean psychic power has existed on Earth even before their arrival… our writings in Dalaam don't go far back enough to say for certain."

He sighed.

"As for how you have the same technique as the invaders, I don't have an answer. PSI can be obtained in several ways: passed down from one's parents through birth, unlocked in an individual with the potential for it by another wielder, or even by random chance. You say your parents both lack such powers, and I doubt Giygas would have given you Rockin' himself, but it's unlikely you have this ability by sheer coincidence alone…"

Ness's head spun with questions, then _everything_ spun when a colossal tremor ripped through the pyramid. He rocked forward, Jeff grabbing his backpack to stop him from falling down the stairs as Paula and Poo both struggled to keep themselves balanced at their side. Most concerning of all, he felt an _enormous_ spike of psychic energy from somewhere nearby.

"What the heck was that?" Jeff gasped.

Paula looked back the way they came.

"It felt like something blew up above us…"

"We shouldn't stick around to find out what it is," muttered Ness. "Come on, let's get the Hawk Eye."

They hurried onwards and soon enough reached the bottom of the staircase, coming to a grand chamber in the pyramid's deepest point. Countless hieroglyphics and a hexagonal arrangement of stone pillars surrounded an elegantly carved stone table, sitting in what was likely the temple's most central area. The room was surveyed by a statue of an ancient warrior about twenty feet tall.

Ness instantly knew they'd found what they were looking for, displayed on the stone table like a prize. The Hawk Eye was a white, teardrop-shaped crystal around the size of his fist with an image of a single eye carved onto its front. He approached it carefully, having seen enough movies to know there would be a booby trap for such a precious item.

"…HEROES…"

The deep growl of a voice came from the statue, which was slowly craning its stone head to look at them. Like the Sphinx, it showed neither an expression nor an interest in attacking.

"I HAVE WAITED CENTURIES FOR YOUR ARRIVAL. WELCOME, CHOSEN FOUR. I AM THE GUARDIAN GENERAL."

"Uh… hello," Ness said, wary of offending something that could crush them underfoot. "We're here for the Hawk Eye."

"INDEED. YOU MAY TAKE IT WITH YOU," it said, stepping aside to reveal a hidden passageway. "THERE IS AN EXIT BEYOND THIS CHAMBER WHICH WILL BRING YOU CLOSER TO THE DEEP DARKNESS."

Ness glanced at his companions, each of whom bore an identical look of hesitation.

"Is that it?" he asked. "No test? We don't have to fight anything to prove our worth?"

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO?" the Guardian General responded, flexing its huge fingers.

"Uh, no, it's okay. If you say we can, we'll just take the Hawk Eye and get going."

It made a noise that sounded like chuckling, only to snap its gaze to the staircase they'd arrived from.

"INTRUDERS… QUICKLY, TAKE THE HAWK EYE!"

"PK Beam: Gamma."

A thin yellow light shot across the chamber, blowing off the Guardian General's left leg on contact and making it collapse in front of the exit. Ness stuffed the Hawk Eye into his backpack and gripped his bat in anticipation of a battle. There was only one person he knew who could use PK Beam.

"That's far enough."

Ana was standing at the base of the stairs, two fingers pointed at him. For once she didn't have entirely black clothing, likely due to the desert heat, and she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. He grit his teeth at the sight of her; how did she get in?

"If that item is so important to helping you defeat Master Giygas, then I can't let you have it."

He knew she wasn't speaking from her own will, but that didn't make him any less tense given how powerful she was. Ana's psychic resonance somehow appeared stronger than it had been during their battle in Fourside, to make matters worse. But if Ness was on edge by her arrival, it didn't come close to how Paula reacted. She stared wide-eyed at Ana, one trembling hand moving to cover her mouth.

"I… I know you… I know your voice! Y-you… you helped me learn PSI when I was little! _You're_ my angel!"

Ana's jaw tightened but she didn't reply. She took a step further into the room, at which point Ness realized she wasn't alone. Five octopus-looking robots filed in behind her, each composed of a durable metal sphere with long tentacles they used as legs. They formed an arc around the Commander, staring them down with cold, black visors.

"How did you even get in here?" Poo growled, clenching his fists. He clearly hadn't forgotten his crushing defeat at Ana's hands. "None except us were supposed to access the pyramid!"

"Yeah," added Ness, "you would've had to…"

He paused, and the realization of how she'd followed them made his blood run cold.

"…you would've had to… get past the Sphinx, and Teddy…"

"That explosion before," Paula whispered, now covering her mouth with both hands, "did you…?"

Ana notably hesitated before answering.

"Defeating the Sphinx was no easy task. Teddy didn't put up much of a fight."

Ness felt his breath catch in his throat. No… it wasn't true…

 _"_ _But what if it is?"_ a voice somewhere in his head whispered.

It wasn't. It _couldn't_ be.

 _"_ _It could."_

No.

 _"_ _Yes."_

No!

 _"_ _YES!"_

"NO! PK ROCKIN': GAMMA!"

He didn't even realize he'd charged in front of his friends until he was already unleashing the strongest psychic attack he possibly could. Ness hardly thought about what he was doing; single-minded rage was the only thing motivating him at the time. His initial onslaught forced Ana and her robots to scatter, though one couldn't avoid the shockwave and was reduced to a smoldering pile of scrap metal.

 _"_ _That's it, take her down!"_ the voice cackled as he looked around in a frenzy. Purple flares of energy tinged the sides of his vison, making it hard to focus on much other than instinct. He thought he could hear someone calling his name, but he paid no mind to it.

Ana took cover behind one of the pillars before anyone had a chance to attack again. Ness started toward her, clenching his bat so hard his knuckles turned white. One of the four remaining robots jumped at him, but he took a well-timed swing and knocked it clear across the room with a spray of metallic shards. He didn't even pause to check where it landed, continuing his advance. His target noticed him approaching and fired another PK Beam, which he avoided by throwing himself into a sideways roll behind the adjacent pillar. Paula, Jeff, and Poo were each contending with a robot of their own, leaving him to take on Ana himself.

 _"_ _You left Teddy behind~! You left Teddy behind~!"_

The voice was the same that had been taunting him from as far back as Fourside: his so-called "evil side." He could barely even hear it over the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears, however. Focusing on _anything_ aside from the fight at hand was impossible. Ness leaped from behind his pillar and unleashed another storm of PK Rockin' at its Beta level to conserve energy. It tore through Ana's cover like cardboard, launching her back. She crashed in the corner of the chamber with a hard "thud" and slid to the floor, dazed.

Ness wasn't ready to stop yet. Lunging for her again, he raised his bat above his head with a roar. She hopped to her feet and held both hands out, releasing PK Freeze in a wide arc. As he was about to leap out of the icy blast's way, something struck him from the side and forced him to stumble directly into it. He flew back several yards, landing without his bat.

 _"_ _You lost Buzz Buzz. You almost lost Paula. And now, you lost Teddy."_

Snarling, he got back up to see what had hit him. The Octobot he'd sent flying was standing between him and Ana, damaged but still functional. It held out two of its metal arms, which began to glow a light blue.

 _"_ _Who else will you lose?"_

Ness clenched his fists, ready to let loose with another Rockin'… but nothing happened. He wasn't out of psychic energy, he wasn't too tired to keep fighting, and despite the PK Freeze blast significantly damaging him he wasn't critically wounded. It was as if, in that exact moment, all of his motivation just drained away. The question repeated itself again and again in his head, and his vision blurred with tears.

 _"_ _Who else will I lose…?"_

"Move!"

As the Octobot's arms let out a pair of blue lasers, Ness was shoved aside by a somewhat pale Jeff. His rescuer returned fire with a bottle rocket, finishing the robot off while Paula and Poo busied themselves blasting the remaining three apart.

"Ness? Are you okay?" asked Jeff, a hesitant edge in his voice.

His whole body was shaking, and he found he couldn't get a word out.

"Look out, here she comes!" cried Paula.

Ana was capitalizing on their distraction, casting two simultaneous PK Beams that directly struck him and Jeff. They were both launched back, Ness landing against the table in the middle of the room. He used Lifeup on himself and stumbled to his feet just in time to watch Poo fly past as well, chunks of ice clinging to his clothes and face. Paula was holding her ground against the Commander alone, countering her psychic attacks but unable to go on the offensive.

 _"_ _Get it together, Ness!"_ he growled inwardly. _"If you keep this up, she doesn't stand a chance!"_

 _"_ _Do_ any _of you stand a chance?"_ replied the voice.

Not giving it the satisfaction of a reply, he stooped to pick up a stone from one of the broken pillars. While Ana was preparing to unleash another PK Beam, he pitched it as hard as he could into her stomach. She doubled over from the impact and lost her concentration, her stored energy bursting in her palms. Paula was finally able to fight back by unleashing PK Thunder, but there was a noticeable restraint in her attack. Ana staggered under the force of her bolt, only to respond with an even larger PK Thunder. Ness dove in front of Paula, reflecting the electricity with his Franklin Badge to strike Ana again.

As she struggled to get back on her feet, her eyes flickered from red to light blue, just as they had when Ness battled her in Fourside.

"Not much time…" she grunted, reaching somewhere under her robes. "Giygas's influence is coming back already. Hurry, take these and get away!"

Ana withdrew a pair of silver, metallic objects and threw onto the ground before Ness. He heard Poo let out a gasp behind him.

"Those are the Bracers of Kings! So… you _did_ take the artifacts from Dalaam!"

"Ninten and Lloyd should have the others," she said. "We… _we…_ "

In an instant her eyes were red again. She sprang to her feet holding both hands out.

"PK Beam: Omeg-"

"NO."

The Guardian General, despite missing a leg, had thrown itself from where it lay at her. Ana's concentration broke, and her expression showed total shock for a brief moment before the stone golem crashed through the remaining support pillars.

"GO, HEROES OF THE EARTH!" it roared as the ceiling crumbled and buried both it and the Commander.

"A-Ana!" Paula yelled.

Ness didn't feel right just leaving her behind either, but he grabbed Paula by the hand, dragging her out of the crumbling room. Poo picked up the dropped bracers and followed them, with Jeff hot on his heels. They raced out through the hidden exit the Guardian General was blocking while the rest of the pyramid, in what must have been a last-resort defense mechanism, collapsed inwards and buried the Hawk Eye's chamber under hundreds of pounds of stone.


	47. Aftermath

Chapter 47: Aftermath

The pyramid's hidden exit brought them to a long flight of stairs, at the top of which a ray of light could be seen. Fatigue from Ness's outburst during the battle set in, and he practically dragged himself up each step with some help from his friends. They weren't in much better shape, each sporting assorted scrapes and bruises. By the time the four reached the top and stepped back into Scaraba's late afternoon sunlight, they were all exhausted to the point of collapsing in the sand.

Curious as to what they'd emerged from, Ness looked back and realized the pyramid was at least half a mile away. The stairs had brought them to a hidden structure no larger than a mausoleum, half buried in a sand dune. As if sensing they were gone, a stone slab closed off the door and effectively stranded them in the desert.

"That was close," Poo exhaled, clasping the armored bracers he'd acquired around his arms. "You have the Hawk Eye, right Ness?"

He pulled his backpack closer to where he sat and unzipped the biggest compartment. His belongings were a mess, having been jumbled up in the fight, but briefly digging through them revealed he did indeed have the pyramid's treasure. Finding it wasn't difficult; the artifact pulsed with a gentle light similar to the Sound Stone.

"Yeah, I've got it. Where do we go from here?"

"The slab back in Summers gave us a hint, didn't it?" asked Paula. "Something about a Lost Underworld beyond the darkness."

Poo frowned and took a seat beside them.

"I don't think _I've_ ever heard of such a place."

"Beyond the darkness…" Jeff murmured, putting a hand to his chin. "It's just a hunch, but I might have an idea. There's a region here in Chommo called the Deep Darkness. The whole place is a jungle, covered by a thick layer of trees which block out a lot of sunlight. It hasn't seen human exploration in decades, apparently. There could be a way to this Lost Underworld somewhere inside."

"It's a start," said Ness, passing around a few water bottles. "Where'd you learn about that?"

"We studied it a little back in Snow Wood. Unfortunately, that's all I really know. I'm not even sure how to get there from here."

They sat in silence for a minute or two, each at a loss on how to proceed. Ness, completely stumped, turned his attention to the revelation made back in the pyramid.

"Hey, Paula. Before we fought Ana… did you say _she_ was your angel?"

She nodded, looking some mixture of bewildered and troubled.

"That was the first time I've really heard her voice in person, but it's definitely her. She helped me learn PSI; she said I had the potential."

Without a clear way forward, and with the sun no longer as unbearable, they remained where they were as Paula kept explaining.

"I think I was eight or nine when she first contacted me. Ana told me we have a similar sort of energy that would make it easy to teach me, which I guess is why I have a lot of the same powers as her. She also told me about a boy named Ness, and how I'd meet him one day and go on an adventure."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Ness said, straightening a bit where he sat. "She knew who I was before we met? How?"

Paula shrugged and downed the last of her water bottle.

"I'm not sure. Our contact was never really that clear, and she didn't ever say how she knew your name. I guess she learned it from one of her own visions; I started having them myself soon after that. I would hear your name, usually, but sometimes there was this… evil force. I don't know what it was. It never said anything, but I could _feel_ it."

Ness could certainly relate, though something in his head prevented him from speaking up about it. He didn't quite feel like saying anything- in fact, his attention almost forcibly turned to their recently lost companion through no will of his own.

 _"_ _Ana… how could she?"_ Ness thought glumly, Teddy's grim fate still on his mind. _"I've seen what Giygas's influence does to people, but I didn't think it would go that far. Weren't they friends?"_

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. It was killing him after his outburst, not helped by a realization gradually coming to him.

 _"_ _Teddy must have known she was following us. It was why he kept looking back in the desert earlier. When we had to go into the pyramid, he said goodbye to us like… like he knew we wouldn't be able to see him again…"_

"Ness."

Jeff was kneeling in front of him.

"You're thinking about Teddy, aren't you?"

His spirits fell even more at the mention of his name. He nodded, looking at his lap. An air of discomfort fell over the group until Jeff spoke up again.

"He might not be dead, you know."

Suddenly, and strangely, he felt annoyed. He snapped his gaze to meet Jeff's, eyes narrowing.

"How would _you_ know that? We left him behind, and it was tough even for us to beat Ana together. There's no _way_ he could've-"

"You're right," he cut in. "Teddy probably couldn't win against her, but that's not what I'm saying. All she told us was that he didn't put up much of a fight. That doesn't mean she _killed_ him, strictly speaking."

"Why wouldn't she have?!" he nearly shouted. "The only time she ever hesitates is when she's breaking free of Giygas's control, and that barely lasts a minute! Whatever she said, she hinted to us that she'd killed him and the Sphinx!"

Jeff, to his surprise, was giving him a firm look.

"She did, and it _enraged_ you. You went berserk with your PSI, just like she wanted."

Ness was on his feet in a second, fists clenched as he returned the glare.

"What are you trying to say here?" he growled.

"That Giygas's forces have figured out how to get under your skin. Teddy might still be alive, but they just want you to _think_ he isn't. They're trying to wear you down just by worrying you, since they know how easy it is. If I had to guess, he's been captured and they're holding him somewhere. Somewhere we can't get to right now."

"So _what?!_ Are you _not_ worried about him?!"

"Of course I am," Jeff replied in such a calm voice that Ness swore _he_ was trying to get under his skin. "We all are. The difference is, none of us have PSI as powerful- or unstable- as yours. If they think they can make you lose control of it, they'll try to do just that."

He felt like he'd taken a sledgehammer to the gut, and suddenly he found it hard to speak. The utter devastation on display in the hieroglyphics was still fresh on his mind.

"I… I wouldn't… I don't want to-"

Paula had stood up without him noticing and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ness, we know. We know you're not a bad person, and we know you wouldn't use it to hurt anyone on purpose."

"Regardless of where your PSI came from," Poo added, "it's still _your_ power. Merely having it doesn't make you evil like Giygas. You just need to better manage your emotions when using it."

He looked between his three friends, his temper dying down as quickly as it had flared up. Not only was Jeff right, he'd nearly _demonstrated_ it. Regardless of Teddy's fate, he needed to control himself. Ness took a deep breath, feeling his pent up aggression slowly drain away to be replaced by embarrassment and shame.

"I'm… sorry, guys. I didn't mean to get so worked up, you shouldn't have had to talk sense into me like that."

"Don't worry about it," Paula said, the faintest hint of a smile on her face. "Sometimes even the brave leader needs help too."

He was about to protest being called a leader, but the familiar ring of teleportation cut him off. A streak of gray emerged behind them, skidding to a halt in the sand a few yards away. Out of the haze stepped a bald, elderly man with a bushy gray mustache and faded robes.

"Greetings, Chosen Four. You've done well to make it this far. Prince Poo! Step forward, please."

"I met you back in Dalaam, didn't I?" he asked as he approached the man. "Before my Mu Training."

"Right you are. I failed to introduce myself at the time, but you may call me Star Master. I'm here to bestow upon you the way of the Starstorm. You have been through much conflict lately, do you believe yourself ready to wield such a power?"

Ness watched as Poo, without the slightest hesitation, got onto one knee and closed his eyes.

"I do. I will accept any power to help in the battles ahead."

"Very well. I give you this, for the good of the world!"

The old sage held both palms in his direction, exhaling hard. There was a brief spike of power, and even Ness could feel a shift in the Prince's psychic energy. Poo got back to his feet when it was over, bowing to the man.

"Thank you. I'll use this power to its fullest potential."

"I take my leave," he replied. "Good luck."

"H-hold on!" Ness blurted out before the sage had a chance to depart. "Do you know how to get to Deep Darkness?"

The Star Master raised a brow at him, but turned to face away from the pyramid's exit and extended a wrinkled finger.

"Your desired path is to the south, several miles ahead and beyond a great river. You'll need a method of crossing it to reach Deep Darkness."

Not offering any more advice, he disappeared again via PSI Teleport.

"At least we know where we're headed next," Ness said, "but I'm exhausted."

"Did he say miles?" groaned Paula. "And the sun's starting to set, it'll be freezing in no time!"

Jeff was peering at something to their southeast, clearly deep in thought.

"We might have a place to stay. There's a tower over there, look!"

Ness didn't know how he hadn't seen it himself, but Jeff was right. An enormous stone building jutted out among the endless sand, about half the height of the pyramid. As they began making their way toward it, hoping to find any kind of solace from the desert, it became clear that this was no ordinary tower.

It reminded Ness of a brown, barely detailed garden gnome. Its bottom was carved into a pair of cylindrical legs, arms shaped like thick cones with no hands or fingers, and it had dark hollows on its face for a mouth and eyes, alongside a pointy nose. The tower looked out of place compared to everything else they'd found in Scaraba, but Ness couldn't put a finger on why. Still, happy to have a place of solace for the night, they entered through a door in the tower's left foot and ascended a short spiral staircase into its main body.

Its interior reminded Ness of the Giant Step cave back in Onett. An intricate network of cliffs, elevated platforms, and tunnels presented itself to the group, leading further up the tower. At the front, a signpost on the rocky wall greeted them with a cheerful message.

 _"_ _Welcome, adventurers, to Dungeon Man! I'm Brick Road, meet me at the top!"_

"No way!" Jeff gasped. "That's the guy I met in Winters, who made the mini dungeon! Did he really build all this?"

"We can ask him after we've rested for the night," said Poo. "It appears our host has anticipated weary travelers. Take a look to the left."

A group of small beds was arranged down the nearest corridor, each looking unexpectedly tidy. There were also two bathroom doors behind them, as if Brick Road had implemented a makeshift hotel in his grand design.

Ness grinned. After battling the Kraken, making their way through the desert, and the fight in the pyramid, it was nice to have fate throw them a bone on this leg of the journey.


	48. Midnight Megaton Walk

Chapter 48: Midnight Megaton Walk

The night passed smoothly for the group, who took the time to clean themselves up with Dungeon Man's facilities and share some of their remaining food before settling down for bed. Morning came much less peacefully for Ness, not because of an interruption in a dream but because he woke up feeling like he'd barely slept at all.

He sat up in the small bed and rubbed his eyes groggily. Even Jeff, the lightest sleeper of them, was still snoring away, as was Poo. The only other person awake was Paula, who also sat up upon noticing him.

"Morning, Ness," she yawned, looking like she wanted to collapse again.

"Hey… did I wake you up?"

Paula got out of bed and fumbled through her bag, withdrawing a pair of slippers.

"No, it's just… I don't really know what it is. It feels later than it should be."

"Jet lag," Ness said quietly, not wanting to wake up Jeff or Poo. "I think that's the problem."

"I'll never get back to sleep," she mumbled. "I'm gonna have a look around. Want to come?"

With nothing better to do, he nodded and slid haphazardly into his shoes. He grabbed his bat in case of an emergency, joining Paula as she walked away from the makeshift hotel.

The interior of Dungeon Man didn't throw much at them besides a winding upwards path between platforms and ledges. Occasionally they came across a gift box with "treasure" (usually a non-perishable food item) inside, but there wasn't much noteworthy about the place otherwise. It was at least dimly lit by a series of lamps set up throughout, saving them from having to blindly traverse the path.

"What's jet lag?" Paula asked not long into their ascent.

"It's…" Ness rubbed more sleep out of his eyes, thinking of how to describe it. "Okay, we're from Eagleland. That's all the way across the world, where time is… counted different, compared to here."

"I don't get it."

"Um… my dad told me about it once. Sometimes he has business trips really far from home, and he said it can be morning in some places of Eagleland and afternoon in the other. The difference is even bigger the further we get, right? So, it's like… like we're still used to Eagleland time, even though we're in Chommo time, and we sleep weird hours because of it. I think that's how it works. Maybe it's why Jeff did the same thing when he joined us."

The path led to a wooden ladder. Above them, Dungeon Man's path continued across metal scaffolds and another series of rocky cliffs.

"Want to keep going?" he asked Paula.

"We've come this far already, might as well. You go first, though. I don't want you peeking."

It took a second for the implication to sink in, after which Ness felt his entire face heat up. He stammered incoherently, trying to form an assurance that he'd never do anything like that, but Paula just laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Relax, I know you're not that type. You're a real gentleman, after all… but still, you _do_ get to go first."

Ness was too flustered to argue, and climbed the ladder ahead of her without a word. Once they reached the top, proceeding to the metal scaffold, she took his mind off the embarrassment with a question he hadn't expected her to ask.

"What's your dad like? He's away a lot, right?"

Their footsteps clanged noisily across the platform, and suddenly Ness felt his stomach drop. No handrail was available, forcing them to balance while they slowly walked single file over the long fall.

"He's… yeah, he is. He goes on a lot of business trips all over Eagleland, and they can last a few weeks at a time."

They made it to another winding, rocky path on the other side, yet the hollow feeling in Ness's gut didn't go away.

"Tracy and I always get to stay up late with him the night before he leaves," he continued as they pressed forwards. "We'll usually watch a movie, or get some really bad junk food. You know, stuff we can do together. It's nice."

Most of the walk up Dungeon Man passed by him in a blur. It was functionally just another of the many caves they'd been through, a backdrop that didn't stand out much from the rest of their adventure. The most interesting part of it was a junkyard not far from the ground floor, filled with vehicles in various states of disrepair. His eyes settled on a small submarine, conspicuous against the rest of the scrap thanks to its relatively intact hull and bright yellow paint job. They passed it by just as quickly.

Paula was quiet, and were it not for the fact that he couldn't seem to stop talking he might have spaced out during the walk altogether. Whether he was speaking to her or to himself didn't really matter in his drowsy state.

"There was this one time," Ness said, "when he took me to Beak Point, a cliff at the west end of Onett, in the middle of the night to see the view. I think I was six or seven back then. Tracy was too little to be out that late, and…"

He trailed off upon realizing there wasn't a point to the story. Continuing it would have only wasted time, yet Paula didn't seem the least bit annoyed by his ramblings. Ness didn't speak up again until they'd come to a conspicuous "rest stop" around three quarters of the way to the top, and sat down on a generously provided bench.

"My dad's not always around, like I said. He's busy a lot, and even though he calls as much as he can, sometimes we don't hear from him for a few days."

"What's it like without him?" she asked.

"…we're used to him leaving," Ness eventually managed to say. "It happens so much, it's just a normal thing for us now. I don't really know what it's like to have both him and my mom in the house for long… but I wish I did."

He closed his eyes and gave a long, low sigh.

"I know he works hard for us, and his job is important. He always finds a way to come home for our birthdays, or special occasions, so he doesn't forget about us. Still, I can't help but wish he'd be able to be with us more. Is that selfish of me?"

"I don't think so," Paula said, fidgeting a bit closer to him on the bench. "Why _wouldn't_ you want him to be around more often? It makes sense to me."

He felt her hand resting on his, and the discomfort faded.

"What's it like for you?" he asked. "Having your dad around."

She appeared to stifle a laugh.

"Well, he definitely is _around_ me. To him I'm still a baby, and he doesn't always trust me to take care of myself. Remember how he was when you had lunch with us?"

Mr. Polestar's hardened stare had never really left him no matter _how_ far they traveled, and he cracked a grin at the memory of it.

"Oh yeah. He must've thought I'd try to take you away or something."

Paula wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"Isn't that what you wound up doing?"

"Y-you could've stayed back in Twoson," he chuckled. "I gave you the choice, it's not my fault you decided to come."

"I did anyway. Maybe you just have too much charisma to say no to."

Ness paused, his brow furrowing while he tried to figure out what she'd just said. The word was only somewhat familiar to him.

"…oh, I get it. Charisma, like charm. Tracy talks about that in her fantasy game all the time. She says I don't have any of it."

"That's not true! You're the strong, _brave_ hero leading us to fight evil and save the world," she replied with a mock swoon. "That sounds pretty 'charismatic' to me."

He gave a nervous laugh which made her grin widen.

"Hey, hey, don't let it get to your head," Paula teased.

Ness leaned back on the bench, staring at the darkness of the tower's upper floors. He felt a weight settle on his shoulder and looked down to see Paula leaning on him, smiling contentedly in the faint light.

"What'll we do once this is all over?" he asked.

"Head home and enjoy the rest of the summer, I guess. It'll be weird just going to school and being a normal kid again after this."

Normal. Ness had almost forgotten what it was like _not_ to be on his adventure. To some extent, he wished it wouldn't ever end.

"How long have we been out, anyway? I've lost count."

Paula shrugged against him.

"I dunno. I think around two weeks? It feels way longer…"

Perhaps against his better judgement, he put an arm around her for comfort. Ness didn't really think she would respond negatively to it, but the act made his heartbeat quicken regardless. Paula only tensed up for a second before seeming to settle into the gesture. Success.

 _BOOM._

Just as he was getting comfortable, the tower violently trembled around them. It stopped a moment later, followed by a swaying of the floor which reminded him too much of the sea voyage. Another shake occurred not long afterwards, and the interior became illuminated by a series of overhead lights installed in the rocky walls. The pair jumped off the bench, wary of an attack, but they seemed to be alone. It took a third shake, then a fourth, for Ness to realize what was happening.

"No way… Dungeon Man is _walking!_ "

There was the slow but unmistakable rhythm of heavy footsteps to the tremors, and the lights turning on gave the impression that Dungeon Man was gradually coming to life.

"Wait a minute, didn't the sign say Brick Road is at the top?" asked Paula. "If this tower can move, let's go up there and meet him. Maybe he can bring us to Deep Darkness!"

Before they could continue onwards, a shout came from behind them.

" _There_ you are!"

Jeff was making his way up the path, Poo on his heels. Ness felt a pang of embarrassment when he realized they'd forgotten to so much as leave a note before embarking on their walk.

"Oh… sorry for leaving you," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Forget that, the tower's moving!" Jeff cried. "It was swaying all over the place down there, so we came up to the higher levels. How long have you and Paula been here? Actually, what've you been doing anyway?"

"We woke up early and decided to explore," said Paula. "We're gonna see Brick Road at the top; maybe he'll bring us through the rest of the desert."

"It's preferable to walking ourselves," Poo replied. "And I'm interested in seeing how he controls this structure."

The party continued onward, scaling one final series of ladders and scaffolds until they arrived at Dungeon Man's highest point: the interior of its face. Faint light shone through the eye holes, giving them an impressive view of Scaraba's sunrise. From so high up, even the tremors from its footsteps were less noticeable.

"Visitors! Hello, hello! Welcome to Dungeon Man!"

Ness's mental list of the top ten strangest sights they'd come across along the way was constantly rearranging itself with every new location, but he had a strong feeling that the human face protruding from one of the rocky walls behind them would stay at the number one spot for a very long time.

"I'm the creator, Brick Road. What did you think?"

The man's head wasn't sticking through a hole to greet them, rather his neck seemed to be naturally integrated into the stone, as if he were a fungus growing from the wall. Jeff was the only member of the group not stunned speechless, and approached the face with an ecstatic smile.

"H-hey! Remember me, from your maze in Winters?"

"Of course!" Brick Road chortled. "I took your advice on dungeon-making to the great Dr. Andonuts, who helped me create this body! It turns out he's been researching the possibilities of merging organic life with modern technology in his spare time. I believe he called it Project Chimera, and I'm the first result! Amazing, no?"

Jeff's love of all things scientific must have distracted him from any sense of strangeness that came with talking to a face in a wall. Ness had to admit, the dedication was impressive. Incidentally, he decided not to ask how Dungeon Man wound up so far south of Dr. Andonuts's lab in Winters. The answer would most likely confuse him more than not knowing.

"Y-yeah! I'll have to ask about that next time I see him," Jeff said. "Hey, can you bring us to Deep Darkness? It's further south of here."

Brick Road smiled, nodding as much as he could with his head restrained.

"I don't see why not. We'll get moving right away, so sit tight!"

"Uh… maybe we should go get dressed," said Paula as Dungeon Man began its long march over the desert.

Ness blinked, realizing that all four of them were still in their pajamas. He and Paula had gone on their walk without changing, and in the excitement of the tower moving it seemed Jeff had also neglected to swap his outfit. Poo, whose various robes looked nearly identical regardless of their purpose, was the only one who seemed remotely prepared for the journey.

"Yeah," he conceded with a laugh. "C'mon, let's get our stuff from down below."

"Just a moment! It's fuzzy pickles time, kids!"

The cameraman arrived on the scene, zooming in through one of Dungeon Man's eye holes (Ness also chose not to question how exactly Brick Road could see where he was going, as his face was too far from the front to get a clear view outside) and landing before them. They took it in stride, posing for a quick picture next to Brick Road.

"This photo album's coming along nicely. Keep up the good work!" he said, taking off into the sky like normal.

Another fond memory preserved, Ness led his friends back down the path to retrieve their belongings. It was time to prepare for whatever Deep Darkness would throw at them.


	49. Deepest Dark

Chapter 49: Deepest Dark

Dungeon Man delivered the party to Scaraba's southernmost point, arriving at the bank of a murky-looking river. In the distance, a mass of thick trees was faintly visible. Looking at it, even from so far away, sent an inexplicable chill down Ness's spine.

"Is that where you're all going?" Brick Road asked. "I can't take you any further than this; Dungeon Man is only built to walk on land."

Ness put a hand to his chin.

"We have to get over there _somehow_. It looks too far to swim, and there aren't any bridges…"

Paula let out a gasp, as if she'd realized something.

"Wait! We passed by a submarine on the way up here, would that work?"

"Hm… if that's what you need, you can take it," said Brick Road. "I'll have it deployed for you right now."

Gears could be heard clanking from somewhere within Dungeon Man's body, then there was a splash outside. Just as promised, the yellow submarine sat in the shallows of the river far below them.

"There's a shortcut out of here in the corner," he continued, nodding toward the entrance of a slide. "Go on, leap in with all your courage! Best of luck to you!"

"Thanks so much for the ride," Jeff said before they left. "I'm definitely coming back one day!"

"You're welcome here any time! Maybe I'll have a boss fight on your next visit."

Ness entered the slide first, shooting through Dungeon Man's innards in a rapid downward spiral. He whooped the whole way, relishing in the excitement while it lasted. It was a simple distraction from his adventure, but not an unwelcome one. Unfortunately the slide ended after barely half a minute, spitting him out of Dungeon Man and onto the sand just before the river bank. Paula, Jeff, and Poo emerged soon after, and it was only then that Ness realized exactly where they'd been ejected from.

"Man, that is just all _kinds_ of messed up…"

His friends appeared not to have noticed, each making sure nothing was lost on the way out before heading to the submarine. The hatch was already open for them, so they climbed in with one last wave goodbye to Dungeon Man. It was surprisingly cool and clean inside, if a bit dim due to the minimal lighting.

"Does anyone know how to drive this?" asked Paula, her voice ringing against the metal walls.

Ness paused. He hadn't considered that. All eyes turned to Jeff, who looked a bit taken aback by the sudden attention.

"U-uh, I mean… I've never controlled one of these before, but I guess I could figure it out…"

He climbed into the driver's seat and looked at the controls with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah… okay, I think I can do this. Everyone sit tight, I'll get us moving."

There were no other chairs in the submarine, so Ness took a seat against one of the walls. Paula joined him, while Poo sat against the wall opposite them with his legs crossed and his head bowed in meditation. The four were quiet as the vehicle hummed to life, beginning its slow trundle through the murky water.

Ness, needing something to distract himself, withdrew the Sound Stone from his pocket. It pulsed with a gentle warmth in his palm, and staring at it gave him an overwhelming sense of relaxation. However… there was also a twinge of sadness. Buzz Buzz had transformed _into_ the artifact before dying at the very beginning of the adventure. He'd traveled through time on a desperate mission to save the world, possibly not even finding the person he was looking for, and Ness had lost him almost instantly. What had _his_ story been? Did he still have allies in his future, counting on him to change history and stop Giygas? Ness sighed at the unanswerable questions flooding his thoughts, wishing he could have gotten to know his very first partner better.

 _"_ _What is this thing, anyway? His soul? Buzz Buzz said he wouldn't be able to communicate with me, but I wonder if he can see how far I've come…"_

Six Sanctuaries out of eight had been claimed, the Chosen Four were assembled, and the odds against Giygas and his Commanders were slowly turning in their favor. Ness couldn't say for sure, but he was confident Buzz Buzz would be proud of him.

About an hour later the submarine came to a halt, surfacing at the river bank opposite Scaraba. Ness was the first to climb up the hatch and step into Deep Darkness, an uninhabited swamp. Right away he could tell it lived up to its name; the trees towered above them in such a dense canopy that hardly any light shone through, while the rest of their surroundings consisted mostly of overgrown shrubbery and thick mud. A low fog permeated, as if the visibility wasn't limited enough.

"Here we go," Ness said to his friends once they joined him, staring into the unknown by his side. "Let's find the Lost Underworld."

ooo

"How is she?"

Ninten perked up for the first time in hours at Lloyd's voice. He got out of his chair, but didn't move away from the bed Ana had been laid in after stumbling into the base, critically injured.

"She'll be okay," he sighed. "I don't know what happened in Scaraba, but they did a number on her. Those kids have gotten even stronger than we were at their ages."

Of course, that was what each of them wanted. As the new heroes progressed further, Giygas's control over Ninten and his fellow Commanders slipped away. He felt more independent every day, which only made it more frustrating that he still couldn't _quite_ break free. Sooner or later, the most it would take was a defeat in battle to liberate him once and for all. Giygas was hardly even monitoring their actions anymore, his withering mentality drawing him further from his Commanders. This, of course, gave Ninten more of a say over how they proceeded next- such as sending Ana with a purposefully small assault team to take on the new heroes in the hopes that she'd lose and finally break out of Giygas's control.

But that wasn't the case. It didn't surprise him that she alone wouldn't be able to win; as he'd said, Ness and his friends were more than a match for her by herself. What _did_ surprise him was not only her willing return to the hidden base- indicating she hadn't been freed- but also the unexpected prisoner she'd delivered to them.

"Is Teddy secure?" Ninten asked.

Lloyd gestured behind the door to the featureless gray bedroom, into one of the base's central chambers.

"The Mooks have him in one of the prison pods. He's alive, amazingly, though still unconscious. I've ordered them not to harm him. They… aren't happy about it, but they're obeying."

Ninten looked back at the slumbering Ana, subconsciously brushing his hand against hers.

"She didn't kill him… she's definitely losing Master Giygas's influence. I just wish her defeat had been enough…"

Ninten's thoughts returned to their old friend again, the one he was so sure wouldn't be dragged back into this. How had Teddy wound up accompanying Ness and his allies?

"I'm sure he'd have a replacement for her, anyway," said Lloyd. "The Mooks are still excitedly building that Deluxe-class Starman. It's almost finished, and apparently it'll be the greatest model yet. That thing's their new favorite toy."

Ninten chuckled, but the image of the slimy, alien creatures manning the base giddily anticipating a new leader made him shudder just a bit.

"Giygas never really trusted us, of course. I figured it was only a matter of time before he tried to phase us out. By the way, whatever happened to that boy? What was his name, Porky?"

For a moment, Lloyd smirked.

"Pokey. But I haven't heard from him since after the Mani Mani was destroyed. He could be anywhere now that his influence has been broken. I'd bet he's gone back to just being an annoying kid, wherever he is."

Silence for a moment, then:

"Oh yeah, I have an update on the Starman Template. It's been going a little nuts lately. The thing keeps saying it wants to have another fight with Ness."

"Are you going to let it?" Ninten asked him.

"Of course not. It's taken enough of a beating, it can't risk being damaged any further. We might just put it away once it's fixed."

"Where'd it even come from, anyway?" Ninten muttered. "Did Giygas just have a spare one hanging around before we sent him packing?"

Suddenly, Lloyd had a grave expression. He heaved a low sigh and pocketed his hands, looking at the floor.

"…actually… I have an answer for that. I was able to look at its memory banks, and the things I found were… terrible. That Starman Junior's from the future. A future where Giygas wins, and conquers Earth as revenge for us driving him away the first time. All of humanity was wiped out in that future."

Ninten felt a chill flash through his body, and he found it hard to speak.

"That… no… a time-traveling Starman? That can't be true."

"Can't it?" Lloyd replied. "It showed up out of nowhere when Ness started his adventure, already knew we'd fallen under Giygas's influence, was able to tell us the location of each Sanctuary, _and_ arrived just in time to be used as a template for the new Starmen. Besides, why would its memory banks be lying to us?"

"But… Ness and his friends are well on their way to beating him. How could they fail?"

"I know the reason for that, too," the Second Commander continued. "The Starman's logs show no sign of them before arriving here. This means it came from a future where they _didn't_ stand up to Giygas. Remember how it mentioned an 'escapee' who got Ness started on his adventure? That bug must have come back in time to give him a warning, which he didn't have in the future where Earth is conquered."

"My head's spinning," Ninten muttered.

"Well, I can only speculate," said Lloyd. "We don't have the full context of how time travel works yet. All I know is the Starman came from a future where Giygas won. And if he won then, he could win now."

He stepped toward the bedroom door, only pausing to say one more thing over his shoulder to Ninten.

"Speaking of which, I have to finish preparations in the base. The two of you had better get out of here soon to make sure the final Sanctuaries are under our control."

Ninten sat in the bedside chair again when he left, this time taking Ana's hand fully in his. He hadn't lost hope, but there was no ignoring the horrible weight settling on his chest.

ooo

"I've decided," Ness said aloud, "this is the worst place in the world."

He was trudging through warm muck that came up to his waist, bugs flitted around his face, and the humidity seemed to have tripled. Holding his backpack above his head to spare his belongings the muddy paint job that had adhered to his lower body, Ness wondered if this was some kind of karmic retribution for skipping over the sewers back in Fourside. His friends followed close behind him, holding their own bags above the mud and looking equally miserable. Even Poo's stony-faced discipline appeared to be faltering with each step.

"Which way are we supposed to go?" asked Jeff. "The trees are so thick I can barely make out what's in front of us."

"Let's just keep moving. We have to find something _eventually_ ," Ness groaned.

His poor attempt at being optimistic hardly lasted ten minutes. They managed to reach a small hill which let them escape the mud, but it was still in the middle of nowhere. The group sat down, sighing wearily as Ness passed out the last of their leftover food to sustain them. He hadn't eaten a full day's worth of meals in longer than he could remember, and he suspected he was much lighter than he'd been at the beginning of the summer.

"So, what's the plan?" Paula asked after a few minutes of silence. "To be honest, I totally forgot why we came here in all the excitement with the Kraken and the pyramid."

Ness scratched his head.

"Let's see… the slab we found in the Scaraba museum told us to find the pyramid, and get the Hawk Eye inside. It also said something about a great evil in the Lost Underworld, right? Which means the way down there must be somewhere in this swamp. After that… I don't know. Maybe another Sanctuary's there, maybe that's where we'll take on Giygas… the only way we'll find out is by getting to it ourselves."

"The question is," Jeff remarked, "how _do_ we get there? It could be in any direction from us."

"Not the way we came!" said Paula, perhaps in an effort to raise their spirits. "The way… uh, which way did we come from…?"

Ness's heart sank even further when he realized their surroundings held no visible landmarks or paths to distinguish where they had already been. They were lost.

"Wait a minute, the Hawk Eye!" he cried, snapping upright. "Wasn't it supposed to help us here? I should've taken it out by now!"

"Don't worry, I figured we'd have better odds traversing this terrain blindly," Poo deadpanned.

He was about to dig for the item in his backpack, but the remark made him pause in bewilderment.

"Was… was that _sarcasm?_ From _you?_ "

Poo glanced at him with a grin that lasted for a fraction of a second.

"Perhaps. Just find it so we can get moving already."

"Who would've thought the Prince has a sense of humor?" Ness chuckled while he withdrew the Hawk Eye.

The artifact's white glow provided a bit of welcome light to their surroundings, but taking it out of his bag didn't seem to change anything.

 _"_ _How do I make this work?"_ he wondered. _"Maybe there's some trick we need, or… hm… this whole adventure's just like one of my games back home, isn't it? What would the heroes in those do?"_

He stood up, holding the Hawk Eye close to himself. On a whim he raised it above his head with both hands as if presenting it to the sky. A blinding flash emanated from the crystal, brilliant light spilling forth all around them with a high-pitched whistle. He squeezed his eyes shut at how bright it was and felt the weight in his hands disappear. After a few seconds, the outburst faded away and he could see again.

Deep Darkness's layout hadn't changed much (to his disappointment, there wasn't any less mud), but a distinct line of tree branches had mysteriously vanished to let the sun shine through. As if the heavens themselves were offering aid, a clear path was now visible for them to follow deeper into the swamp. The Hawk Eye appeared to have vanished in the process, its long-awaited purpose served.

"Good news," Poo said, "we have our way forward."

Ness genuinely couldn't tell if he was just being blunt or was stating the obvious intentionally for comedic effect. The Prince's expression remained as stoic as ever, but his attempt at sarcasm before threw all of that into question.

That could be figured out later. Ness picked up his backpack again, taking the lead down the newly-lit path with his spirits climbing. While they still had to wade through muck, knowing which way to proceed made the process infinitely more bearable.

"Hey, Poo?" Paula asked on the way. "I've been wondering something. What did that old man who met us outside the pyramid mean by teaching you Starstorm?"

"Ah, I suppose I never explained that. He was referring to PK Starstorm, the ultimate offensive PSI technique. It's Dalaamese tradition for we of the royal family to have it bestowed upon us by the country's master sages when the time is right."

He was looking at his palms as if feeling the energy within him. Standing that close to Poo, Ness could also detect a strong psychic eminence.

"I've trained my entire life to wield this power, but to be honest I don't know if I'm ready. It feels… overwhelming."

"Hey, if the sage believed in you then I'm sure you can handle it," Jeff encouraged. "I wonder if Starstorm is stronger than Ness's ability."

Poo grinned.

"We'll find out soon enough, no doubt."

They followed the trail over twisting tree roots and through more mud until their diligence was finally rewarded. Dry land presented itself to them, a sight which Ness hadn't appreciated so much since the crossing from Summers to Scaraba. The group let out a unanimous cheer as they escaped the endless mud, but their next finding made them go deathly quiet.

Embedded in the shrubs just beyond the mud's end was a wrecked helicopter. It clearly hadn't been there for more than a few days, as the yellow paint coating its side was still visible- albeit chipped and scraped across most of its surface. The propellers had either bent or snapped off entirely, and the front windshield was smashed to pieces.

"This is Monotoli's helicopter," Ness murmured, running his fingers against its side. "Pokey's been here. Doesn't look like there's any sign of him, though."

Jeff was inspecting the interior of the vehicle.

"Suspicious… this helicopter's completely irreparable, but not just because it crashed. It's been stripped down, I'd say with surgical precision."

"Meaning what?" asked Paula. "Someone took parts away?"

"Not just any parts," he replied, stepping out of the wreck. "Nearly every key component to making it functional is gone. Whoever took it apart knew what they were doing. If I had to guess, I'd say Mr. Megane was here too."

Ness felt a sense of dread settle on him, but not at the mention of Jeff's teacher. Thinking about Pokey, and what part he had in all this, made him tenser than he wanted to admit. If he really was a pawn of Giygas (or "partner, as he put it), how did he factor into the invader's plans?

"Let's keep going," he said once it was clear there wasn't anything else to be found by the helicopter. "The trail leads this way… whatever it's taking us to."

They soldiered on, following the path of light into progressively less muddy terrain. Before long they reached a clearing in the swamp and found themselves staring at a massive plateau topped with more shrubbery. A cave entrance could be seen in the side, leading to parts unknown.

"We did it!" Paula cheered. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but going through all that made me miss caves!"

The four were tired, caked with mud, and reeked from the swamp journey, but just escaping it made them too delighted to care. What couldn't so easily be ignored, however, was the much fouler scent of something emerging from a dirty lake very close by. In an instant, the smell of concentrated vomit overpowered Ness's nostrils so badly that he had to cover them with his shirt. His eyes stung from the noxious fume, the source of which became _very_ clear soon enough.

"Oh, you can't be serious…"

A pulsing, quivering mass of dark orange sludge was pulling itself upright on the lake's bank. Two round, white eyes blinked open and leered at them in front of a gaping mouth, from which spilled the aroma of a thousand socks left in the sun for weeks.

"Whahahahaha! Are the kiddies here at last? I've been waitin'!"

Master Belch, the animate pile of puke they'd defeated way back in Threed, was now at least four heads taller than each of them in addition to his sickening shade of orange and brown.

"Miss me?" he chortled. "Belch is back, but you can just call me Master Barf now! Ever since you defeated me and my zombies, I've trained for the chance to get revenge. Now I'm here, ready to drown you in puke! Ghe-ghe-ghe, isn't that a manly taunt?"

"Ugh, out of everyone to come back why did it have to be YOU?" Ness groaned. He didn't even bother to ask how the pile of vomit had survived being blown to pieces. "I'd even fight the rat from Fourside over this…"

"…oh yeah?" Master Barf chuckled, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Well, kid, I might have some good news for ya. C'mon out, gang! Our big moment has arrived!"

Assorted cackling sounded from multiple sources around them. Ness shifted his gaze in an arc to see more familiar faces rising from concealed positions in the swamp, and his heart skipped several beats.

Titanic Ant, its exoskeleton a dark blue-gray in color.

Mondo Mole, sporting sickly teal fur.

Trillionage Sprout, which looked no different than when they briefly encountered it after reaching the third Sanctuary.

Plague Rat of Doom, baring toxic purple fangs and swaying its tail threateningly.

Shrooom, its fungal cap light green.

Thunder and Storm, now matching shades of black with white eyes.

"We've all got a bone to pick with you kids!" said the puke monster. "I was gonna take you down myself, but I decided to use my Ultra Bad Breath Attack and round up some undead buddies. You don't stand a chance now!"

"Uh, I'm not dead…" Trillionage Sprout muttered, not that anyone seemed to notice.

Ness was back to back with his friends, heart pounding as the enemies formed a circle around them.

"We can win," he said to the others in a firmer voice than he'd expected. "We've beaten these guys before."

Jeff laughed nervously.

"I mean, not all of us have fought each of them."

"Now's not the time to be technical!" said Poo. "Just stay focused."

Paula was already generating fireballs in her palms.

"I've got your backs. Let's kick some butt!"

Ness pointed his bat to the sky then settled into a better swinging stance, glaring defiantly. They were outnumbered by a two to one ratio and surrounded on all sides, not to mention drained from the long walk through Deep Darkness, but a strong sense of determination could be felt among the Chosen Four. Not even the taunting voice of "Darkness" was emerging to demoralize him.

"Come on! Who wants to lose again first?"

"GET 'EM!" Master Barf roared.

And then it began.

* * *

At the time of posting this, Part Seven is nearly complete. The story is set to be eight parts long, so we still have a ways left to go.

Next time: It's an all-out brawl in the depths of Deep Darkness as the Chosen Four take on the undead guardians!


	50. Swamp Showdown

I'm on summer break now, and have officially been writing this story for nearly a whole year! There's only one chapter left in Part Six after this, then we should be returning to the faster update schedule. For the moment, enjoy this all-out brawl!

* * *

Chapter 50: Swamp Showdown

The eight foes converged on them all at once, letting out battle cries of varying convictions. Ness found himself fighting off Titanic Ant first as it slashed with its four clawed arms. He'd come a long way since he battled it back in Onett, and its movements were sluggish compared to him. He easily sidestepped the attacks, sending the monster reeling with a smash to the head from his bat.

"That was for Buzz Buzz!"

Plague Rat was next, swiping at his feet with its long tail. Ness hopped back to avoid being knocked over, but collided with Paula from behind. The PK Freeze she'd been aiming at Shrooom was disrupted, exploding in the midst of the group and sending icy wind scattering over them as well as the enemies. Thunder and Storm were taking advantage of the confusion, positioning themselves for their encircling electric dome technique.

"We'll be overwhelmed if we all stay this close together!" Ness shouted. "Everyone, spread out!"

Poo gave them an opening by shooting his own PK Freeze at Storm, knocking the ghost out of position and disrupting the electric dome. Ness took a running leap, bouncing off Plague Rat's head to get clear of the mob. He landed away from his dispersing friends and cast PSI Paralysis onto Mondo Mole as it rounded to face him. The beast was stopped in its tracks, snarling and trying to regain the use of its legs.

As he'd hoped, the enemies were dividing their attention between each of them. Paula and Jeff, who'd remained closest to one another, were dealing with Shrooom and Titanic Ant. Poo traded psychic blasts with Thunder and Storm, holding his own against them remarkably well. Mondo Mole had yet to break free of its paralysis, leaving Ness to take on Plague Rat and Trillionage Sprout as they came for him. Master Barf wasn't actively fighting, instead just chortling to himself on the sidelines.

"You're mine now, runt!" the oversized rodent hissed, lunging in for a bite.

He tried Paralysis again, but Plague Rat turned out to be more agile than it looked and threw itself into a sideways roll, narrowly avoiding it. Without missing a beat the guardian regained its footing, charging him once more. A quick blast of PK Rockin' knocked it aside but only awarded Ness a moment to get his bearings, as Trillionage Sprout made its move at last. The creature's dirt mound body flattened out then sprang up into a club-like shape, striking him hard in the chest and throwing Ness onto his rear.

"I thought you weren't interested in fighting us," he said as he got to his feet.

"Meh, I couldn't find the motivation at the time," the sprout casually replied, making an odd shiver that might have been its attempt at a shoulder-less shrug. "But now that we have the edge over you kids, you're all going down!"

It dragged itself along the ground toward him, picking up more dirt and increasing the size of its body until it almost reached his height. However, like Titanic Ant it was far too slow to pose a serious threat, and another use of PK Rockin' decimated the dirt mound in a shower of purple sparks. Only the yellow sprout and its cartoony eyes were left, flopping uselessly to the ground without a dirt shell. Ness would have taken the chance to finish it off for good had Plague Rat not pounced at him from behind. The only reason he didn't lose his head was an intervention from Poo, who'd frozen its jaws shut with perfect accuracy an instant before it could bite down. He still took the force of it slamming into him, but Ness wasn't nearly as injured as he could have been.

The impact knocked him face-first into the remains of Trillionage Sprout's body (its sprout core was scrambling in the dirt somewhere nearby, trying to collect enough to make a new vessel). He pulled himself upright, coughing dust out of his face just in time to see Plague Rat disappear in a fiery vortex from Poo. The Prince had left Thunder and Storm in a similar state to their first battle, as icy shards scattered across the ground, and ran to assist him just in time.

"Thanks for the save," Ness said as he got to his feet. "How are Paula and Jeff doing?"

As if to answer him, one of Titanic Ant's scorched limbs came flying their way and landed with a dull thud. He glanced in their direction to watch the rest of the monster collapse, sporting psychic burns all over its carapace. Jeff was finishing off Shrooom with a series of laser blasts. Mondo Mole recovered from its paralysis just in time for Paula and Poo to take it down with combined PK Freezes.

"Six down," muttered Ness, counting off their enemies. "That sprout's around here somewhere; I know I didn't beat him for good."

Strangely, Master Barf didn't seem too bothered by the defeat of his cronies. As the Chosen Four regrouped in front of him, he just emitted a guttural laugh.

"You've gotten stronger, brats! I'll admit, bringing back those goons might not have been enough to take you on."

"Just give it up," Ness said, pinching his nose shut.

"Aw, but I didn't get a close enough look at your powers," the vomit monster moaned, before his mouth widened to a horrifying smirk. "Why don't you show me again?!"

A cloud of putrid breath emerged from Master Barf's mouth, splitting into five parts that floated to the downed enemies and absorbed into their bodies. Ness felt his heart sink as the undead guardians pulled themselves back upright, the damage they'd sustained completely vanishing. Even Thunder and Storm were back together, and Trillionage Sprout had assembled a new dirt body to rejoin his allies. The Chosen Four found themselves surrounded, and within seconds the fight was on again.

Master Barf contributed directly this time, spewing more clouds of his Ultra Bad Breath Attack at Ness. Recalling the poisonous effect they had, he darted between them while shouting for his friends to scatter once more. The noxious fumes weren't particularly fast, but avoiding them was difficult thanks to the undead guardians actively trying to knock him into the gas. Ness was forced to wield his bat one-handed against the advancing Mondo Mole, using the other to hold his shirt over his mouth and nose. His eyes stung, but at least he wasn't breathing the vile gas in.

Of course, swinging a baseball bat with the force of only one hand behind it would do little to impede a six-foot charging mole. He opted to throw his weapon away altogether and use his free hand to cast Paralysis onto the beast again. Ness followed it up with PK Rockin' at the strongest level he could use, blowing Mondo Mole away before it even had a chance to seem angry at its halted mobility. He picked up his bat and surveyed the area for other enemies.

Paula was the closest ally to him, this time fighting Trillionage Sprout. She also covered her face with her shirt, leaving only one hand to cast psychic blasts at her opponent and putting her at a severe disadvantage. For its basic structure, the ancient plant was more agile than it had any right to be, curving and snaking its dirt body around each of her desperate attacks. It was closing the distance quickly, but hadn't noticed Ness sneaking up from behind. He yanked the sprout straight from the dirt with his free hand then threw it on the ground, allowing Paula to burn it to ashes with a single PK Fire.

But once more their efforts were in vain. Mondo Mole and Trillionage Sprout were revived by Master Barf's breath (the latter's sprout core changing from yellow to dark gray-green), looking no worse for wear. Jeff and Poo, for as good a fight as they were putting up against the other foes, hadn't made any progress that wasn't instantly negated by the enemy leader's revival technique. And after their trek through the swamp, it was clear they were all exhausted. Ness himself felt like he wouldn't last much longer; his PSI energy was dwindling.

He tried to cast PK Rockin', intent on destroying Master Barf to stop him from further resurrecting his minions. The psychic blast petered out barely after leaving his hands, as it flickered and turned into a snaking purple trail that led to Titanic Ant's outstretched claws.

"Wait, how long have you known PSI Magnet?!" roared Plague Rat.

"I've always had it. Why?"

"You didn't think it'd be a good idea to ever USE that?!"

Titanic Ant cocked its head to the side and folded all four of its upper limbs.

"I don't see what the problem is. I'm using it now, aren't I?"

"Well," Ness dared to remark, "when we fought back in Onett you probably could've stopped me from-"

"You stay out of this!" the guardian said. "I don't need to take criticism from you too."

"I don't know," Master Barf grumbled, "you'd have won easily with _that_ at your disposal!"

Storm grinned darkly at the four.

"Let's focus on the present. They can't do anything against us now."

It seemed the ghost was right. Every time Ness, Paula, or Poo attempted to use a psychic technique, Titanic Ant would leap into the fray and use PSI Magnet to absorb the energy before any effect could be had. In an instant it became their greatest obstacle, forcing them to rely on meager physical strikes and Jeff's lasers for damage. Most of the guardians were still too slow to easily catch them, but without a reliable method of attack their chances of victory dropped by the second. They only managed to defeat Shrooom again by ganging up on and pummeling the fungus into submission, but Master Barf was able to revive it anyway.

"Poo," Ness panted as they retreated from the encroaching hoard, "didn't you say you know the ultimate PSI attack? What are you waiting for?" The Prince bit his lip.

"I know it, yes, but it's more powerful than anything I've ever wielded. I understand Starstorm covers a very wide area; it wouldn't have been wise to use when we were scattered amongst the enemies."

"We're all together now!" Paula yelped, ducking beneath an electric bolt flung by Thunder. "And they're all over there! Use it!"

"I still can't. The ant's PSI Magnet will likely absorb the power of Starstorm. We need to deal with it first!"

"If we kill it, Barf will just bring it back," said Ness. "And I'm running out of energy. What do we do?"

He noticed Jeff had his problem-solving expression on, even as he wiped copious amounts of sweat from his forehead between each dodge of the enemy projectiles. When Master Barf launched another toxic cloud at them, Ness swore he saw a lightbulb illuminate above his head as Jeff sniffed the air.

"Smells like rotten eggs… I have an idea! I'll keep the ant distracted. Paula, shoot PK Fire at the gas clouds. Poo, you get ready to use that new move you have. No time to explain, just wait for my signal!"

Jeff got to work immediately, shooting at Titanic Ant's face and thorax. His lasers pierced its exoskeleton with frightening accuracy, putting the beast down before it had a chance to defend itself. The other guardians charged them while Master Barf coughed up another toxic cloud, floating alongside their enemies to revive the ant.

"Now, Paula!"

Ness didn't realize the point of Jeff's plan until she did as told and cast PK Fire into Barf's emission, which _exploded_ in the midst of the undead guardians. Smoldering debris flew every which way, obliterating the rest of them in a glorious blaze. When the smoke cleared, only the vomit monster himself was left standing, albeit looking charred from the blast.

"I don't know what's in that breath of yours," Jeff said, grinning deviously, "but part of it must've been hydrogen sulfide. Smelly, poisonous, and _extremely_ flammable."

"Y… you DIRTY _RUNTS! I'LL KILL YOU!"_

"Poo! You're up; hit him with everything you've got!" Ness said.

A tremendous wave of psychic power saturated the air, and for a moment the sky darkened. Poo's hands were raised above his head.

"PK…"

Above them, swirling blues and purples formed a galaxy-shaped spiral that angled to face their remaining enemy.

"Everyone, get back…" Poo said, his arms quivering under the strain of the attack.

Ness wasn't going to stay in the vicinity of whatever would happen shortly, moving behind the Prince with Paula and Jeff. He noticed Master Barf attempting to revive Titanic Ant, but he didn't get the chance as Poo unleashed his stored power.

"STAAAAAARSTOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRM!"

The psychic spiral exploded, releasing dozens of blinding comets in the most dazzling- and overwhelming- exhibit of power Ness had ever seen. They overwhelmed Master Barf in an instant, completely obscuring their view of him or the undead guardians' remains. After almost ten full seconds the bombardment stopped, and the light faded. Poo dropped to his knees, gasping for breath from the exertion. He would have been vulnerable, were there anything _left_ to attack him. Master Barf, his cronies, and even a good portion of the ground they'd battled on had all been replaced by a shallow crater.

Ness looked around for a moment, taking in the silence before throwing both fists in the air and whooping.

"We won!"

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **Vengeful Spirits- The Undead Guardians**

"Master Belch makes his comeback as Barf. He's with some of the strongest monsters you've faced, revived and meaner than ever. Don't let their numbers discourage you; the Chosen Four are unbeatable together!"


	51. Tender Tenda

Chapter 51: Tender Tenda

Ness felt energy flow through his body, the voice in his head informing him that he could use stronger versions of several PSI techniques. Most exciting were the acquisitions of Hypnosis, Paralysis, Flash, and Lifeup- all at their Omega levels.

"T-that was incredible, Poo!" Jeff stammered. "With that kind of firepower, we'll be unstoppable!"

"Only if I can get used to handling such strength," the Prince said. "Good thinking with that plan of yours, by the way. I don't know if I would have devised it myself."

"Hey, it pays not to have PSI sometimes. I have to think outside the box."

Deciding they could afford a moment's breather, Ness sat down beside Poo. Paula and Jeff joined them, each making a futile attempt to dust themselves off. The whole group was caked in mud and sweat.

"By the way," Ness said, "how did you use PK Starstorm? No 'Alpha' or anything after it?"

Poo wrung his hands as if shaking off excess psychic energy.

"Technically, Starstorm has only one level of power, considered both Alpha and Omega. Learning any PSI ability at the Omega stage is the point of mastery with it."

He chuckled, shaking his head a bit.

"Of course, that doesn't mean Starstorm will take any less out of me. The sheer strength it demands makes it a risky technique to use. Not unlike your Rockin', I suppose."

"I learned a bunch of Omega-level abilities after that fight," Ness said, brimming with curiosity. "Let me try… PSI Lifeup: Omega!"

He directed the technique at himself, and a great sense of achievement passed through him as his injuries from the previous battle vanished. Amazingly, the healing effect spread to all four of them in just a single use.

Paula whistled, impressed by his display.

"That's awesome. I think I can use my powers at that level too, now. Ooh, I can't wait to try them out! It's just too bad I can't heal like you guys."

"For what it's worth," Poo replied, "your more attack-oriented ability set has given you the edge over us in terms of damage output. Ness only has one reliable offensive move, making up for that with his array of support techniques. While I may have the most diverse range of available powers, this comes at the cost of specialization in any regard."

Jeff cracked a grin.

"I could write a book on all this stuff! Not to sell, most people won't have any idea what I'm talking about, but maybe just to have a big PSI guide. I wonder if Mr. Megane ever did that."

Ness stood up, making one more hopeless effort to wipe himself off.

"Let's go. That cave might be the way to the Lost Underworld."

At his side, Paula jumped and pointed to said cave's entrance.

"L-look! Something's there!"

He turned around just in time to see a very small creature dart into the shadows. The thing had moved too quickly for him to identify it, though from where it was standing it must have been watching them.

They pursued their observer into the cave, finding a surprisingly spacious chamber hollowed out with beaten-up furniture strewn here and there. A stone table sat roughly in the center, laden with various trinkets.

The hideaway's inhabitants emitted frightened squeaks upon their arrival and scattered, waddling into poorly-concealed hiding places. They were stout, green creatures shaped not unlike gumdrops, little more than a foot tall each. Clearly startled by their unannounced guests, they hid their beady black eyes behind spindly, frail-looking arms.

"Hey! Do we have visitors?"

Only one of the odd creatures was able to keep his composure, making no effort to hide and strolling up to them. His more personable behavior was his only distinguishing trait; he looked identical to the others.

"Welcome to Tenda Village! Don't mind my friends, they're _super_ shy. I'm called Talky, the only non-shy Tenda around these parts. What brings you all the way out here?"

Ness, still taken aback by the strange being, took a moment to form a reply.

"Uh… we're looking for a place called the Lost Underworld. We think the way in is somewhere in the swamp."

Talky spun on his heels, waving for them to follow him.

"You're in luck, bubby! There's a way underground right at the back of our village; nothing 'lost' about it at all! Just climb down the rope-"

The area he'd led them to in the cave's rear was devoid of any features save for a very large, lumpy rock.

"Huh? I thought he'd moved this by now. Hey, Beefy! The way to Lumine Hall is blocked!"

Talky was shouting to a Tenda with noticeably muscular arms, cowering from Ness and company in a corner alongside other villagers.

"He's the only one of us who can move this rock, but he's too shy to move…"

"Maybe we can push it ourselves," Poo said. "Surely it's not so heavy that all of us together can't move it."

It turned out that couldn't be farther from the truth. The boulder refused to budge from their efforts to push, pull, roll, or lift it. Even attempting to destroy it with PSI failed, as whatever substance comprised the rock didn't suffer so much as a scratch.

"What… the heck… is that _made_ of?" Ness panted after fifteen fruitless minutes.

"I told you," said Talky, "only Beefy can get it out of the way. With you guys around, though, that'll be a problem."

"We could step outside for a bit," Jeff proposed. "Give him some space, not be too intrusive. I can relate to social anxiety."

The Tenda shook his head.

"You're the first visitors we've had in years. All my friends are so spooked it'll take a while for them to calm down. Unless you have a way to cure shyness, you'll be waiting a couple days in the swamp."

They groaned at the thought in unison.

"I think I _can_ offer you a place to clean up," Talky added. "We've got a hot spring in our village, and it looks like you could use it. Check that door to the right of the entrance. Come find me if you need anything, I'll be here!"

Discouraged by their lack of progress but appreciating the offer, Ness and his friends took turns bathing in the hot spring. They changed into the cleanest outfits they had left- laundry machines had been difficult to come by for most of their adventure- before regrouping outside Tenda Village to brainstorm.

"I feel bad for them," Paula said. "They looked so nervous with us around."

"Me too. I tried to talk to a few about opening up," added Jeff, "but I don't think they were even listening to me."

Ness scratched his head, thinking back to how he'd dealt with shyness when he was younger. Having Pokey as the one person he hung around most (due nigh exclusively to being his neighbor) led to years of thinly-veiled bullying, and a great amount of difficulty trusting new friends in his early days of elementary school. He thanked his lucky stars he'd grown out of it by the start of his adventure, when he first met Buzz Buzz and later Paula.

His memory landed on a particular book. He recalled one trip to the library where his mom, somehow having known about his problem despite his efforts not to let anything show, rented "Overcoming Shyness" for him. Ness was seven at the time, old enough to consider the book fit only for babies, but at his mother's insistence he read it anyway. He grew to like it- more than that, the book was perhaps the very reason he'd opened up. Even talking to his family became easier after that.

Ness realized he was welling up. He wanted to go home, and if the book was still in Onett's library he had the perfect opportunity to do so. Subtly wiping his eyes (without catching the attention of his friends), he voiced his idea.

"I suppose it's worth trying," Poo said. "I've never been to Eagleland, but as long as you have I can teleport us there. And getting the chance to meet your family sounds nice. Everyone, gather round."

Before they could leave, however, Ness's bag released a familiar warbling sound. He opened it, sifting through piles of dirty clothes and assorted junk until he found the receiver phone.

"Hello?"

"Ness! This is Apple Kid, what's up? Did you get to Summers?"

"More than that. We're in Deep Darkness, on our way to the Lost Underworld. The Sky Runner broke again, but we're doing fine."

Apple Kid gasped dramatically.

"No… WAY! That's awesome! Listen, I'm calling to let you know I finished modifying the Pencil Eraser. It now has an Eraser Eraser setting, so we can see what's under Stonehenge. If you can somehow get back here, I'll let you give it a try."

"We can do that, no problem. How's that other machine going?"

"The Phase Distorter? Progress isn't as fast as we'd like, but Dr. Andonuts and I are giving it our all. Speaking of him, he's been away for a while. I wonder what he's up to… w-what?! Who are you?! No, s-stop!"

There was a commotion on the other end of the line, and Apple Kid's frightened cries abruptly ceased. Ness's blood ran cold.

"Apple Kid?! Apple Kid, what's going on?!"

No reply came through. He looked to his friends, heart racing.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" asked Paula.

"Something took Apple Kid at Dr. Andonuts's lab," he said, desperately fighting the urge to panic. "It sounds like they've both been kidnapped."

Jeff's face turned two shades paler.

"W-we'd better go save them, right?"

Ness bit his lip, mulling things over. He so badly wanted to visit home, and get the book for the Tenda, but he couldn't just leave Apple Kid and Dr. Andonuts in danger.

"Yeah. Poo, can you take us to Winters first?"

He nodded, a serious expression crossing his face. Poo stood in the midst of them, focused his eyes, and spun around to initiate the teleport. They vanished from Deep Darkness in a flash, the fear in Apple Kid's voice never leaving Ness's mind.

What would be waiting for them when they returned to Winters?

 **End of Part Six**

* * *

I really need to get moving with the end of Part Seven. I'm hoping to get back to the five-day chapter intervals when it starts (about ten days from now), and I want to have a comfortable buffer space in what's written and what's ready to upload. The last thing I want is a hiatus when we're so far in.

Next time: the War begins.


	52. Turmoil in Winters

Did I say this would be posted ten days after the previous chapter? I'm sorry for the wait, but I needed more time to work on this part. Thanks for your patience.

* * *

 **Part Seven: The War Against Giygas**

Chapter 52: Turmoil in Winters

After spending so long in the heat of Summers, Scaraba, and Deep Darkness, the cool crunch of snow underfoot almost surprised Ness. Once he'd gotten his bearings, he realized Poo's teleportation dropped them in a location he hadn't ever seen before.

They were standing in ankle-deep snow outside the gates to an enormous brick building. Boys of various ages milled around the entrance and the path to and from the gate, chatting to each other and not seeming to have noticed the sudden arrival of Ness and his friends. The boys, who all wore school uniforms identical to Jeff's, didn't appear to carry themselves with much confidence. In fact, the late evening atmosphere felt troubled, like some great tragedy was upon them.

"This isn't the right place," Jeff said. "We're definitely in Winters- this is Snow Wood, my school- but the lab is south of here."

"I've never been here," replied Poo. "PSI Teleport can be inexact if I'm unfamiliar with the destination."

"It's fine, we can get to the lab by heading down the trail to the lake. Maybe if we're lucky, Tessie will be there too. But before we go, I want to find out what's wrong here," Jeff said, stepping away from them.

It was clear he'd noticed the uneasy mood as well. He approached someone with wavy red hair and bags under his eyes, standing by the gate. The older boy had the same harrowed look as everyone else, and seeing Jeff did nothing to help that. In fact, he almost appeared more distressed.

The pair exchanged a few words out of earshot, Jeff occasionally gesturing to them. Ness overheard the name Megane once or twice, but otherwise didn't make out much of the conversation. At least, until the older student said something that made Jeff freeze. The two didn't converse for much longer, parting ways soon enough.

"What is it? Did something happen?" asked Poo.

For a moment Jeff's voice was barely audible.

"Tony. My roommate. He's gone missing."

A sudden chill coursed down Ness's spine.

"Him, your dad, Apple Kid," he murmured, "This can't be a coincidence. I bet he was kidnapped like them!"

Jeff nodded.

"There've apparently been disappearances from all over Winters. No leads on where anyone's gone, either."

"What about Stonehenge?" asked Paula. "That place gave me a creepy vibe when we first visited; maybe it has something to do with this."

Ness put the pieces together almost instantly.

"It was covered by a metal eraser, too. Do you think your teacher put it there like the pencils?"

"I'm almost certain," Jeff said. "That means we might find him or the other Commanders nearby. It wouldn't just be there for no reason."

"Let's get to the lab, then!" Ness replied, bouncing on his heels. "Apple Kid said the Eraser Eraser was done, so we can check it out!"

The four made haste down the path Jeff mentioned, kicking off their investigation. Ness had expected a tense, quiet trek toward the lake, and therefore couldn't tell if he was relieved or not when the group came under attack. As they proceeded through the woods, they were set upon by a series of red beams streaking past, exploding in the snow just behind them. Three light purple robots with pawn-shaped bodies emerged from the undergrowth, forming a triangle in their path.

They scattered to avoid being struck by additional lasers. One of the robots advanced on Ness, attempting to single him out. Its arms rapidly spun around its body for a buzz saw-like effect, and he realized their appearances were familiar. These were the same kinds of robots he'd faced back in Peaceful Rest Valley, designed by Lloyd to stop him. Aside from their new paint jobs and laser blasts, however, they didn't pose much more of a threat. Ness was able to dodge the first robot's whirling arms and smash its head off with a single swing of his bat. The other two were just as easily defeated by his friends not long after.

"Were those Mr. Megane's robots?" asked Jeff. "If they're here, maybe he is too!"

Spurred on by the possibility of bringing down one of the Commanders, they picked up the pace. More spinning robots ambushed them on the way, as well as squad after squad of the round, octopus-like machines which had accompanied Ana in the pyramid. Although the enemies were fairly weak, the sheer number of them proved disconcerting.

"I've never seen this many robots in one place," Ness said as he knocked another spinner's head off. "When did Giygas's army get here?"

"They weren't here when I left Snow Wood," Jeff replied. "Either they set up shop really quick, or they've been hiding. I don't like the thought of either."

Lake Tess came into view around fifteen minutes and two additional robot ambushes later. Tents were pitched along the shore, and Ness could see at least a dozen people hanging about them. Unlike the students they met earlier, the Tessie-Watching Club seemed carefree and cheerful when the group approached. In fact, upon noticing Jeff the members noticeably became more excited.

"You seem popular here," Poo remarked, taking note of the numerous stares in their direction.

Jeff chuckled.

"I got to ride Tessie on my way to save Ness and Paula. Actually, I'm hoping she'll let us have another trip. If she's here, that is… oh, hey!"

Rather than a giant sea creature greeting them at the lake's edge, they were instead treated to a small monkey throwing itself at Jeff from out of nowhere. Ness reached for his bat but soon realized there was no need; the animal was hugging him around his chest and shrieking excitedly.

(Buddy! Buddy! It's you!)

It had been a while since he'd heard an animal's thoughts with his telepathy, especially because Talah Rama's monkeys could speak. This brought back memories for him, memories from… how long ago was it?

While Jeff caught up with his old friend, Ness took a moment to determine how long he'd really been on his journey for. His irregular sleep schedule, plus hopping between different time zones, made keeping track of the time difficult, but at a rough estimate he would have to say…

 _"_ _Just sixteen days?! It feels like I've been away from home for months!"_

Nearly seventeen. The sun was low in the sky, and soon enough night would fall. At their current rate, he would still get to enjoy the majority of his summer vacation after stopping Giygas. A nice bonus, he figured.

"Hey, guys! Come over here!" Jeff called to them. He was standing at the edge of the lake while his monkey friend- who'd been joined by another monkey with a red hair bow- shoved a wad of chewing gum into his mouth. He blew a bubble that (somehow) carried him into the air, and hovered over a distinctly dark spot of water. The Tessie-Watchers gathered around, binoculars at the ready.

Ness had seen a lot on his adventure, and while the sight of a purple, dinosaur-looking sea creature rising from beneath the surface wasn't even one of the top ten strangest experiences it was nonetheless captivating to watch. Tessie's expression could only be described as dopey, but her gentle, graceful paddling to the river bank was anything but. She came to a stop not far from where they stood, the monkey perching atop her head.

"Hi, Tessie!" said Jeff. "Remember me? Do you think you could give me and my friends a ride across the lake?"

"Mmmmm…" she grumbled.

(Climb onto my back. Any friends of Bubble Monkey are friends of mine.)

Her thoughts echoed in Ness's head, and despite the threat hanging over Winters he couldn't resist a wide grin.

"She says it's okay," he reported to his friends. Behind them, one of the Tessie-Watchers fainted from sheer awe.

The Chosen Four and Bubble Monkey's wife got onto Tessie's humped back one at a time, whereupon she started to swim away from the shore and the ecstatic club members.

"This," Paula said, "is the coolest thing ever! We're riding a _dinosaur!_ "

"I just wish the photo guy were here to capture this," Ness added. "Whatever album he's putting together, this would definitely make a good addition."

No sooner had he finished saying that did he hear a click somewhere to their left. He turned in its direction and saw a black top hat sink below the lake's surface. The tip of a snorkel stuck up where it had been, swiftly moving away from Tessie.

Ness just took it in stride, letting himself enjoy the moment before they had to get serious again.

* * *

"Well," sighed Lloyd, straightening his suit, "it's only a matter of time now."

Ninten stood near the base's entrance with him, overseeing the final preparations for battle. Mooks rushed here and there, fortifying defenses and organizing the hideout as best as they could.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon. Are you ready?" Ninten asked.

"Yep. Everything's in order, so all I have to do is beat them."

"Do you think you can?"

Lloyd glanced over his shoulder to make sure none of the Mooks could hear them, then gave him a quick thumbs up.

"Nope. That's the best part. I'll even give you my last Teleport Bomb, so I can't use it myself."

He retrieved the spherical device from his pocket, reaching out to Ninten. As he tried to accept it, however, both of their hands felt an invisible tug downwards. They attempted the exchange a second time, then a third, but to no avail. Giygas, it seemed, had caught on to their attempt at escaping his grasp and was exerting his influence just enough to stop them.

"Crap," Lloyd sighed. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be okay. You and Ana get going, those last two Sanctuaries need to be secured."

Speaking of Ana, she emerged from deeper in the base to join them. Her expression wasn't one of hope, and when Ninten saw what was accompanying her he felt his stomach clench in concern.

"Our victory is inevitable, Commanders," it droned in its deep, metallic voice. "The children stand no chance against us."

Ninten looked to his friends, neither of whom appeared more confident than him.

"Well, I hope you and Lloyd take care of them," he said. "We're off. Hail Giygas!"

He exited the base with Ana right behind him, but felt her hand in his once they were out. Ninten gave it a squeeze in some halfhearted attempt to encourage her, then watched the metal eraser statue covering the entrance shift back into place.

"Those kids are strong enough to do anything, they'll be fine" he said in a motivational effort even he didn't quite believe. "Let's get moving; we have work to do. PSI Teleport: Alpha."

He began to run, Ana on his heels, south of the base's entrance. They picked up speed and vanished in a blue vortex, leaving behind Winters, Lloyd, and the impending battle.

* * *

Tessie's ride came to an end just as the sun began to set. She let Ness and his friends off at the other end of the lake before swimming away with the two monkeys still on her back.

"The lab's not far," said Jeff. "We just have to go through a short tunnel system and we'll be there. Actually, this is the same tunnel you went through to reach that Sanctuary."

Although he seemed confident in his knowledge of the geography, Jeff had a confused look when they came to a narrow path around a cliff bordering the lake.

"That's weird, there used to be one of those metal pencil statues here. You guys didn't come this way and erase it while looking for Rainy Circle, did you?"

Ness shook his head.

"I didn't get the Pencil Eraser back until after we reached the Sanctuary. If they're Lloyd's creations, maybe he took this one away? He might have a way to shrink them down."

Whatever the case, it just meant their path forwards was easier. They traveled further south and reached the aforementioned cave, thankfully not encountering any more robots. An unsubtle heaviness hung in the air, like some dark force was blanketing the entire region. It was the same thing Ness felt when he first went to Stonehenge, and he knew they were getting close.

The four scaled a rope at the far end of the tunnel, and soon enough the exit was in sight, as well as the path to Rainy Circle. There was nothing else waiting for them that way, with the only notable detail being the absence of Starman Junior's wrecked body. They'd left it in such a condition that it couldn't possibly have gone anywhere on its own, so someone else must have collected its remains. Ness had a feeling that he hadn't seen the last of the robot. With nothing else of interest, they proceeded out of the tunnel and found themselves not far from Stonehenge.

"Do you feel that…?" asked Poo, sounding unnerved.

"The darkness is still here," said Paula. "No, it's worse this time. I can't explain it, but something evil is definitely in the area."

Jeff shuddered.

"I don't even have PSI, but I'm getting the creeps too…"

Like their first visit, the iron eraser was still smack in the middle of the stone arches.

"Apple Kid said he finished modifying his device to get rid of this, so let's see if it's still in the lab," Ness said. "We don't have much to go on, anyway."

All was quiet on the walk south. The door to Dr. Andonuts's lab was wide open, but the gently falling snow had long since covered up any tracks there may have been leading to or from it. That was to be expected given the location; what Ness _hadn't_ seen coming was just how neat the lab's interior was. None of the tables were overturned, nothing was broken, there wasn't so much as a test tube knocked over. It seemed the only thing out of place was the Phase Distorter, which was nowhere to be seen.

The telephone Apple Kid had used just before his kidnapping sat in the middle of the table, beside the modified Pencil Eraser. In fact, the device was _so_ conspicuous it seemed like it had been presented there for Ness.

"Someone wanted us to find this," he said. "If they really wanted to stop us they wouldn't have just left it here."

Though uneasy with the knowledge that Stonehenge's iron eraser could have been hiding a trap, he pocketed Apple Kid's device.

 _"_ _Just hang on, we're coming to save you…"_

They each took a turn in Dr. Andonuts's Instant Revitalizing Machine to be ready for whatever would come next. As they exited the lab, however, Jeff still looked anything but prepared. His head hung down, and he shuffled his feet halfheartedly through the snow.

Ness fell into step beside him.

"Hey. You're worried about your dad and Tony, aren't you?"

It was less of a question, more of a statement. An obvious one that Jeff didn't even try to deny. He just nodded, still not quite raising his eyes from the ground.

"We're going to save them. Whatever happened, we'll get to the bottom of it. All right?"

Jeff finally looked up, his expression taking on a hint of determination. Ness couldn't resist a grin; seeing his friends motivated made him more confident in turn.

His enthusiasm was immediately put to the test. The rest of the trek back to Stonehenge was quiet, but anticipation hung thick in the air. As they approached the rocky arches, the feeling of dread settled in once more. It was even worse this time, as if every step toward their destination whittled down his confidence bit by bit.

Seeing the iron eraser in the center of the stones, he pulled out Apple Kid's device. It retained its eraser shape, but now had a switch to toggle between "Pencil Eraser" and "Eraser Eraser" for added versatility (of course, it was still possibly the most situational item he'd ever laid eyes on). Ness flipped the switch to the appropriate setting and pushed the start button.

Like with the pencil statue back in Twoson, the eraser vanished in a blink of light. Its placement was revealed to be no coincidence; beneath it was a deep, dark hole with a ladder leading into the unknown. Uncovering it caused Ness's sense of foreboding to triple, but he couldn't afford to lose face.

"Well… h-here we go. I'll head in first."

He took a deep breath and began to descend the ladder, the unnerving sensation weighing heavier on him by the second.


	53. Plunge into Darkness, Part 1

Chapter 53: Plunge into Darkness, Part 1

Although their ultimate goal was to defeat an alien menace, the area underneath Stonehenge was the first place Ness had visited that felt… unearthly.

The hidden base sprawled ahead of them, composed of snaking, thin corridors that connected larger cubical rooms. Their footsteps reverberated endlessly across the floor, which was made of some unidentifiable purple metal, sounding off into the unknown. Each room was packed with bizarre technology that not even Jeff could comprehend, all built for some no doubt nefarious purpose in Giygas's plans. Topping off the unsettling locale was a ceaseless, eerie humming that droned from somewhere further in.

They met resistance almost immediately after entering. More of Lloyd's spinning creations ambushed them from around every corner, and the spherical octopus-looking robots that had accompanied Ana were stationed within the first few rooms as well. Ness and his friends had very little trouble dispatching them, as the only real obstacle was the cramped space which made using wide-range attacks like PK Rockin' or PK Starstorm unviable.

"These enemies don't pose any threat," Poo remarked after they'd destroyed another wave of octopus robots, "so why are they still being sent after us?"

"I'll bet anything they're just here to wear us down," said Jeff. "The real fight is probably up ahead."

Ness smashed a lone spinning robot that had tried to get the jump on him apart with a well-timed swing of his bat. The oppressive environment was anything but comfortable, though not having broken a sweat through all the fighting thus far made him more confident.

They came to the widest room yet: a circular chamber with a low ceiling and multiple computer terminals. Peeking in from around the corner, Ness could see the area was staffed by six red, squid-looking aliens that had long stalks for two of their eyes, the third of which sat in their midsections. He shuddered at the sight; color aside they were identical to the creature that kidnapped Paula. One turned its attention toward the door, forcing Ness to jerk his head out of sight.

"Octobot Team 4 isn't responding, Commander," he heard one alien hiss. "It seems they've been destroyed."

"I get no reading from Whirling Team 5 either," another said. "We can confirm the children have entered the base, and may reach this point soon enough."

"Are there any outer defense forces left?" asked a distinctly human voice.

Ness heard Jeff stifle a gasp behind him. The speaker was Lloyd, by the sound of it!

"Whirling Teams 6 and 7 are still on standby. Shall I call for them, Commander?"

"Yeah, get them here right away. I want you all to hold this area while I go deeper into the base and check on the inner defenses."

There was a pause, and the aliens could be heard muttering amongst themselves.

"You… will not fight with us, sir? Or even have us deploy the-"

"You've already got them outnumbered, right? With all of you, plus the incoming robots, you should be fine."

More muttering. His lackeys clearly didn't have the same level of confidence, which came as a surprise to Ness. Was Lloyd trying to make things easier for them? Was he putting himself in a position to eventually be defeated, and freed from Giygas's control?

"I'm leaving now. You have your orders, get to it," he said shortly.

"No, you _aren't_ ," another alien growled. "You're _going_ to explain why we shouldn't just bring some of the inner defense forces here!"

"What does it matter?" snapped Lloyd. "Your reinforcements are coming, aren't they? Track them; where are they now?"

With more enemies inbound, they needed to act quickly. They could have dealt with just the robots and possibly the aliens easily, but a Commander would prove more difficult. Ness held three fingers up to his friends behind him. He heard them shuffle a bit, getting ready to fight.

"Whirling Team 6 is approaching from the south corridor, Team 7 from the north. They should be here momentarily."

He lowered a finger.

"Answer us! Why haven't we brought any of the Starmen up here? Wouldn't it make sense to stop the humans early?"

Ness paused. Starmen? There were _more_ of those robots deeper within the base? He'd never assumed there was only Starman Junior, but the prospect of fighting several of them was more than a little unnerving.

"You know what I think?" asked a different alien- or possibly one of those who'd already spoken; their voices sounded identical. "I think you're setting us up to fail! Without the Mani Mani, you aren't _really_ on our side, are you!? None of you Commanders are!"

He lowered another finger. Only one left. Psychic energy charged into his other hand, preparing an ability he hadn't made good use of for a long time.

"You don't matter! You're just here to delay them, got it?! Get to work, I'm going down!" Lloyd roared.

That was their cue. Ness lunged out from behind the corner, thrusting one hand forward and covering his eyes with the other.

"PK Flash: Beta!"

Green light exploded into the terminal room, and although Ness didn't risk opening his eyes to see his handiwork yet he could hear the aliens crying out from the blast. When the initial flare died down, he raised his bat and ran in, taking a swing at the closest enemy while it was still blinded. His friends entered behind him, Paula and Poo casting PK Freeze at two other aliens and Jeff firing on a fourth with his laser pistol. Lloyd was nowhere to be seen, perhaps having fled when the ambush began.

Ness swung again, and his target let out a deathly croak before collapsing against the wall. As his friends finished off their own opponents, he spun to notice one last alien frantically working at its terminal. He didn't give it any more time to call for help, taking advantage of the more open room and destroying it with PK Rockin'.

"Weren't there six of them? I took out two, you each got one, where'd the last one go?"

Poo gestured to a dark spot behind one terminal. In almost cartoonish fashion, a black cloud of ash vaguely shaped like the alien was smeared against the wall.

"That would be it. PK Flash at its higher levels can be lethal, you know."

"Uh… good thing I didn't try to make it any stronger, otherwise it might've hurt _us_ ," he muttered. He still remembered how disastrously his attempt had gone during the fight with Thunder and Storm.

Assorted clangs emitted both from the corridor they'd entered through and the room's exit. As anticipated, two teams of the spinning robots rushed in.

Being surrounded wasn't a problem for long. Jeff threw a bomb into the crowd emerging behind them, dispatching the horde instantly. Paula used PK Thunder to send a surge of electricity conducting through the other group, putting them down as well.

"Nicely fought!" Lloyd intoned over a microphone on one terminal. "I'm waiting for you deeper in the base. You're doing well, keep it up!"

"Is he… encouraging us?" asked Poo.

The coast was clear in the corridor Lloyd escaped through, so Ness beckoned for his friends to follow him.

"Giygas's control over them is weak," he explained. "I don't get visions exactly like Paula does; mine usually come when I'm asleep. Early on, I would keep getting threats from Ninten, or I guess from Giygas controlling Ninten."

As the corridor narrowed, they were forced to walk single-file. The monotonous humming which pervaded the base was strangely becoming more distant, and all noise save for their footsteps faded away.

"And the further we've come, the less influence Giygas has had on their minds. Ninten told me it himself in one of the visions where he was free… at least, for a bit. If Lloyd's actually motivating us, then that must mean his control is almost broken!"

"We just have to beat him, and he could be free?" Jeff asked, his tone notably lightening.

"I think so. He said he's waiting for us, so let's go get him!"

The corridor ended not long after, but what it brought them to was more concerning than encouraging. It was the last small room, with a ladder leading deeper like they'd seen at the entrance, but where their first descent had been dark this one looked _black_. None of the dim lights around them seemed capable of penetrating the inky void below.

"I can't see a thing down there," said Paula.

Ness took a hesitant step onto the first rung of the ladder.

"Whatever's at the bottom, I know we'll be fine. Follow me."

 ** _"_** ** _Ness…"_**

He froze before he could begin the descent. The whisper was subtle, so subtle he swore for a second he'd imagined it. But he heard it again not three seconds later. It hissed softly in his ears, but was too quiet and brief for him to identify. All he knew was it left him trembling for a reason he also couldn't pin down.

 ** _"_** ** _I want… to be your friend…"_**

The abyss below him was rumbling, cracking apart, and filling the air with a suffocating blanket of _something_. He didn't know what it was, or even how to describe the feeling, just that it would consume him altogether if he didn't get off the ladder immediately.

And then it stopped. Nothing was shaking, and aside from the inexplicable scare he felt fine. His surroundings were still dark; in fact they were darker than how they'd been before… whatever just came over him. There was no noise, other than a series of metallic clangs from behind. Turning around and squinting, he realized he was at the bottom of the ladder. He didn't even recall taking more than a step down it.

Ness shook his head as if to dispel the strange occurrence. It was just nerves, he told himself. So far behind enemy lines, of course he would be jumpy. Heck, he probably _had_ imagined that whisper.

"Careful, those aliens said there are Starmen down here," he reminded his friends as they descended the ladder after him. "It's so dark, they could be hard to see coming."

That issue proved to be short lived when lights suddenly flared all around them. Ness frantically rubbed his eyes, trying to clear away the stars he was seeing. His vision returned soon enough, and through the floodlights beaming onto them he realized they were standing in an auditorium-like chamber, full of wide scaffolds and platforms around theirs. And standing on them…

There were Starmen in the base, all right. Dozens and dozens of Starmen, surrounding the group's walkway in a wide circle. Countless black visors stared the four down, while the robots themselves didn't so much as twitch. Most of them sported paint jobs identical to Starman Junior's silvery sheen from its first encounter, but Ness also spotted a few golden units throughout the horde.

"Welcome," droned over a hundred soulless voices in unison. "This is where you fall, Earthlings. We'll stomp you hard!"

The visors on the front row of Starmen all glowed red, and the air crackled with psychic power.

"Paula!" Poo whispered. "You know PSI Shield, yes? If you can use its Omega level, do it now!"

She was pale in the face but nodded, casting the barrier over the entire party just before the Starmen attacked.

"PK FIRE: BETA!"

The temperature around them skyrocketed as dozens of fiery projectiles soared their way. Paula's shield reflected them on impact, and around twenty enemies went up in flames. Although the technique seemed to have cost her a great deal of energy, a quick use of PSI Magnet stole more than enough from the remaining Starmen to recharge her. They emitted several clicks and whirrs before, to Ness's surprise, many of them disappeared with flashes of light. Of those remaining, some even leaped onto their level to block the way forward.

"They must be thinning their ranks to stop our wide-range attacks from being useful," Jeff said, firing at one of the flanking Starmen. "Don't use your big PSI, save your energy!"

That would leave Ness limited in offensive options, but he wasn't about to just sit on the sidelines and let his friends do all the fighting. He cast Paralysis: Omega onto the closest robots and charged them while their joints were locked up. Swinging his bat as hard as he could, he dispatched five of them while barely breaking a sweat.

As the Starmen crumpled to the floor, Ness realized just how strong he'd become. They seemed to have the same defensive capabilities as Starman Junior did in their first battle, where he needed Buzz Buzz's help to barely win. Now here he was, holding his own against the same class of enemy.

His reflection only lasted a few moments, after which he realized he'd moved too far ahead of his friends and been surrounded by more Starmen. One of the elite ones had entered the fray, firing a laser at him from its visor. Ness leaped sideways to avoid it, but found himself on the receiving end of a metal tendril to the stomach. He was swatted to the floor and felt the wind get knocked out of him. An enormous golden foot raised above his head.

"Die, puny-"

The Starman intent on stomping his face in froze solid courtesy of Paula, giving Ness enough time to stand again. He escaped the mob through a trail she blasted apart and regrouped with his friends, trying to catch his breath.

"They don't have much in the way of defense," said Poo, punching straight through the midsection of one unlucky golden Starman.

But they didn't seem to stop coming no matter how many were destroyed. The robots had apparently grown wary of Paula's psychic shield and magnet, as their PSI attacks were replaced by more basic lasers and physical strikes. Their attacks may have been less varied, but suddenly they became much harder to effectively counter. The Starmen closed ranks, stepping over the bodies of their cohorts and slowly forcing Ness and his friends toward a wall of the wide chamber.

There _was_ a silver lining: in their eagerness to corner them, the Starmen were clumping into larger groups than before. They were attempting to overwhelm Ness and his friends with concentrated laser fire, but that meant they weren't spread thin anymore.

"Let's get them all, now! PK Rockin': Gamma!"

"PK Fire: Omega!" yelled Paula.

"PK Starstorm!" Poo added.

Their maelstrom of psychic power tore apart everything in its path, obliterating the Starmen in an instant. They stood no chance against it.

Curiously, however, they weren't attempting to avoid the attacks. In fact, as Ness continued to output his technique he swore the enemies were actively throwing themselves into it. He kept it up, deciding that if the Starmen wanted to make their job easier and destroy themselves it was no problem of his. The only problem was just how many there were. He felt himself growing tired of the constant psychic blast.

 _"_ _Wait…"_

Ness ceased his attack, cancelling the buildup of PSI in his hands.

"Guys! Stop, you're just wasting energy!"

Paula and Poo, both of whom were also looking fatigued, did as told. The smoke cleared to reveal just a handful of golden Starmen remaining, who promptly vanished from the area and left behind hundreds of their scrapped brethren.

"I should have known," Poo said, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Of course none of them stood a chance against us; they were just trying to tire us out.

"We destroyed so many," remarked Paula, who looked ready to collapse, "but we didn't even get all of them."

Ness inspected his bat to find it was dented beyond further use. He tossed it aside, grimly aware that he would need to rely on his limited psychic energy alone.

"We can't stop now. Let's keep at it."

The long chamber brought them to a much narrower corridor, which rounded a corner and led the group to a crossroads. Continuing forward, nothing whatsoever was visible in the darkness. To their right, however, a conspicuous green radiance shone from another room.

"That looks promising," said Poo.

Ness led them down the right corridor, another low hum reaching his ears as they approached. He was already on edge, but something about this room was making his skin crawl before they were even inside. It reminded him too much of the feeling the Mani Mani gave off.

The chamber was much smaller than its predecessor, lined with several rows of tall glass tubes. It became clear they were the source of that light, as each tube was full of a green, bubbling liquid. The humming also came from the tubes, which were supplemented by more computer terminals and nefarious-looking devices around the room. No enemies were there to stop them, and there didn't seem to be any traps in place to protect whatever this room held. They moved in to get a closer look, upon which Ness felt his heart grind to a halt.

There were people in the tubes.


	54. Plunge into Darkness, Part 2

This story's one-year anniversary is approaching in just a few days. Wow. I figured I'd be done by now, but that's what I get for writing something way longer than the other novelizations!

* * *

Chapter 54: Plunge into Darkness, Part 2

"What… what _is_ this?" Jeff whispered, seemingly afraid to go near any of the tubes.

Ness, though no less appalled at the sight, was braver. He slowly walked up the nearest aisle, forcing himself to look at the people sealed inside. Each individual was kept in some kind of stasis, suspended in the liquid with their arms and legs hanging limply. Their eyes were closed, and they didn't appear to be in pain, but there was no way their condition was doing them any favors.

"These must be the people who were kidnapped," said Poo, going so far as to gingerly place his hand on one of the glass containers. "This is too horrible for words... there are so _many_."

At least two dozen of the pods were lined up in three rows, every single one housing a victim. Ness didn't even know who most of them were; they had nothing to do with his fight against Giygas. They were bystanders, abducted regardless of their innocence. He felt a ten-ton weight crushing down on him at the nightmarish sight, and was only distracted when he saw two familiar faces in adjacent tubes.

"Hey, I found Dr. Andonuts and Apple Kid over here!"

His friends joined him, silently gazing at their trapped allies. Jeff's attention wasn't just on his imprisoned father, but also the boy housed in the tube to his left.

"Tony…"

Jeff, like Poo, put a hand it as if to contact his trapped friend. He looked on the verge of tears, and Ness didn't blame him. The uneasy feeling in his stomach had long since mutated to a sickening knot.

Paula was at his side, pointing a shaking hand at another tube. Unlike the others, which contained human prisoners, this one held a Mr. Saturn. Where it had even come from, Ness couldn't tell.

"These people… they _are_ alive, right?" Jeff whispered, not looking away from Tony.

"They are."

The voice came from the room's entrance. Startled, Ness spun on his heel and reached for his bat, only to remember he'd abandoned it not long ago.

"However bad it looks, I promise you none of them are dead."

Lloyd was standing in the doorway, his hands folded behind his back. They were ready for battle in an instant, but he did nothing more than sigh when they raised their weapons (or, in Ness's case, his PSI-charged hands).

"I'm impressed you kids made it this far. Ninten and Ana aren't here, if you were looking for them."

He stepped further inside, walking over to one of the tubes in a different aisle.

"Are you here to fight us?" asked Ness, a bit confused by the lack of hostility. He knew the Commanders were steadily escaping Giygas's control, but this was much more passive than he'd expected.

Lloyd cast him a glance before turning back to the tube. His red eyes looked passionless for the brief moment Ness could see them.

"Technically I'm here to just check on the prisoners one more time before leaving."

Ness peered at the container he seemed so interested in and gasped.

"Teddy?!"

Sure enough, their old companion was sealed inside, suspended just like the others. It was both relieving to know he was alive, and all the more disturbing to see him in such a state.

"Ana brought him in," Lloyd said, "after she took you on inside the pyramid. "They were both in pretty bad shape, but they're fine now."

"Why are you leaving?" Jeff asked. "Aren't you going to try and stop us?"

The Commander chuckled.

"By myself? No way. It's the four of you against me, and as much as I want you to free me from Giygas's control… how do I put this? He won't let us willingly put ourselves in fights we can't hope to win. He's holding on as desperately as he can, but to tell you the truth I don't think he even recognizes us anymore. He's gone a little crazy lately."

"So… if you're not going to fight, where _will_ you go?" Ness asked. In all honesty he had over a dozen questions, but that was the first to come to him.

"I'll rejoin my friends. They're waiting at the final Sanctuaries. Which reminds me, you're making great progress in tearing apart our armies."

Another chuckle.

"That is… unless you want to take me on now? If only one or two of you would stay here and fight, that's something I can work with. The others can head to the final chamber. There you'll find the main controls for the base, including a way to release all these people. I guess I'll give you a minute to think it over while I finish my inspection."

Ness turned to his friends.

"What kind of sense does that make?" Paula whispered.

"None," replied Jeff, "but I think that's the idea. If Giygas really is going crazy, he could be tricked. It's probably best for us to try and save Mr. Megane now, while he's by himself. I'll stay behind and take him on, you should all keep moving to free the prisoners."

Poo spoke up.

"I'll fight with you. None of us should be alone in the battles ahead."

Jeff stared at him without a word, but Ness could tell he was touched by the offer.

"That leaves me and Paula to go on. Everyone ready?"

They all nodded in agreement. Ness turned back around to face Lloyd, who was almost smiling. Seeing them together must have brought back memories like it did for Teddy.

"We've decided," he said. "Two of us will stay, and free you from Giygas's control."

"Works for me. Here we go!"

Ness and Paula darted away, leaving the room as the fight broke out behind them.

"They'll be okay," Ness told himself. "They'll be okay."

"Are _you_ okay?" Paula asked.

They rounded the corner, proceeding down the dark corridor.

"I'm…" he began.

 _"_ _Scared. Tired. Worried. Homesick."_

The voice again. It spoke into his head, taunting him for just a moment before disappearing.

"…fine," Ness somehow forced out. "Let's just take care of this."

He felt Paula's hand slip into his, and could tell she wasn't convinced.

"I'm here with you. As long as we work together, we won't lose. And after this, we can visit your family again. You deserve it most after all you've been through."

"Don't you want to go home too?" he asked. "You've been away for almost as long as I have."

She hesitated, but gave him a smile.

"I'm fine. I guess I just don't get homesick too easily. Besides, you've already met _my_ family. Now I want to meet yours."

Ness smiled back, unable to put into words how glad he was to have her accompanying him.

They were already out of range of the prison, and the sounds of fighting had faded into the background. Another branching room came into view up ahead. Ness frowned; he'd assumed there was only one chamber left based on what Lloyd said. Nonetheless, they stepped inside to investigate.

It appeared to be a maintenance room. Automated mechanical arms in the walls held various tools but remained motionless. A golden Starman was held in place by clamps, shut down for repairs. Scrapped parts were strewn haphazardly about the floor alongside- curiously- a broken, splintery wooden object lodged in one of the discarded metal slabs. Ness picked it up and realized it was the head of a bat. He put two and two together almost instantly, memories of the fight for Rainy Circle rushing back to him.

"Paula, this is Starman Junior!" he whispered, wary of the chance it could hear them.

"Really? Why do they keep fixing it if it's lost twice?"

They got an answer on a terminal next to it, displaying information in the form of blinking green text.

 _"_ _Message to technical crew: Starman Template unit undergoing reparations. Templates duplicated: Junior-Class, Super-Class. Once repaired, initiate next experimental phase as directed by Master Giygas. Repair status: 51%."_

 _"_ _Update: Template shows abnormal behavior and fixation on the humans, repeatedly requesting a third battle with them. Past defeats have caused critical damage to its systems used as the basis for the army, and more damage cannot be risked. To avoid the loss of such a valuable unit, this malfunction in its mental processor is to be corrected immediately. Repair status: 67%."_

 _"_ _Update: Deluxe Prototype has so far been successful without prior Template experimentation. Malfunction persists despite all attempts to correct it. Template is dangerous and unstable, and is to be sealed away until further notice once reparations are complete. Repair status: 99%."_

"Those Starmen we've been fighting must be copies of it," Ness said. "But I guess they don't need it to test any new types. Heh… sorry, big guy. You wanted another fight, didn't you? Looks like we got here just before they were about to put you away."

He thought all the way back to the night his adventure began, to fighting it for the first time alongside Buzz Buzz and Picky. He'd left it scrapped back then, and when it returned to challenge him a second time it had been damaged even worse. Seeing it now, almost fully repaired but scheduled to be locked away indefinitely, made Ness for just a moment feel bad for it. Starman Junior showed something different than most of Giygas's minions: tenacity. Even after losing to Ness twice, it still wanted to try again. It may have been his enemy, but he could respect- and relate to- the feeling of not wanting to give up.

Of course, his short burst of pity for the robot faded quickly. If it was locked away as planned, that would just be one less threat to worry about. Ness spared Starman Junior a final glance before leading Paula out and back down the hallway.

Dim lights came into view further ahead, as well as a lone gold-plated Starman at the end. It stood guard outside a metal door and snapped to attention when they approached. Paula didn't give it a chance to attack, shooting the robot with PK Thunder and causing it to collapse.

"You… will not prevail," it said, its voice heavily distorted with static. "Your end is at hand... at _your_ hands…"

The robot didn't remain active long enough to say anything else, and stopped moving. Behind it, the door slid open with a loud bang.

"What did he mean by that?" Paula asked.

"No idea. Let's just go in and free everyone."

Lights turned on inside the last room upon their entry. The horde of remaining golden Starmen were lined up against the walls, apparently deactivated. There was just one exception: a silver unit, even taller than its cohorts, stood in the middle of the room. Its visor and chest insignia both shone red, and it sported decorative spikes on its head and shoulders. The Starman looked onto them, hands on its hips as was common for the robots, and let out a sound that might have been a laugh.

"There you are, little Earth creatures," it said, its voice clicking between every few words. "Did you enjoy your tour of the facility?

"Not really," Ness challenged, "you haven't been the best host. At least tell us your name!"

"I am Starman Deluxe, the latest and greatest of my kind. I know your other two companions are in the prison, engaging our Second Commander. His likelihood of victory alone is difficult to calculate, but that hardly matters."

The door slammed shut behind them.

"Are you here to destroy us? You have proven yourselves to be formidable opponents. The Apple of Enlightenment's prophecy may repeat itself: a red-capped Earthling and his companions could be responsible for Master Giygas's downfall yet again."

It stomped a foot on the floor, causing the entire room to shudder.

"HOWEVER. You must not underestimate us. I have been designed for the sole purpose of overcoming your party. With your numbers halved, this should be a trivial task. To prevent such a prophecy from coming true… I am going to crush you, Earth vermin. Prepare yourselves."

Ness was still fatigued from using up so much psychic power beforehand, but he stood his ground anyway. He and Paula stared into its expressionless visor, channeling all the energy they could. Tension hung thick in the air as both sides waited to see who would make the first move.

As it turned out, Ness _didn't_ see the first move. In an instant the Starman Deluxe vanished on the spot, then there was the sound of a hard impact beside him and he saw Paula collapse, the robot's tendril having clubbed her over the head. Its attention turned to him, and the fight was on.

ooo

Jeff set his laser pistol to the lowest power setting he could, intent on bringing his enemy down with as little physical harm as possible. Lloyd, thanks to the lingering evil influence, wasn't about to offer the same courtesy and opened fire with a deadly red beam.

He ducked behind one of the tubes in the aisle closest to him, only to blanch at his mistake. Jeff could only watch helplessly as the laser struck his makeshift cover, already imagining it piercing the glass and disrupting the helpless prisoner's life support.

Except that didn't happen. Rather than damage the tube, the laser ricocheted onto the adjacent ones, bouncing throughout the room until it ran out of energy and faded away. Curious, Jeff leaned out from behind his cover and fired his low-power beam at Lloyd, who dodged the initial blast but was struck in the back when it bounced off the tube behind him. The Commander stumbled, his expression somewhere between amazement and irritation.

"What just happened?" Poo asked, looking rather bewildered himself.

Jeff smirked. He was already envisioning the possibilities.

"These prison tubes aren't made of normal glass. They've got some kind of reflective property for lasers, I'm guessing so the Starmen wouldn't damage them in case a fight ever broke out down here."

"Would've been nice of them to tell _us_ that," muttered Lloyd. "Still, as long as I know it now…"

He fired a beam off to his side at just the right angle to rebound it behind their cover, forcing Jeff and Poo to dive to the floor. The blast sailed overhead and left a faint burning smell in its wake.

"This ought to be interesting!" the Commander said, a grin of his own coming onto his face. "Let's see how good you are at lining up your shots."

Poo got to his feet, fists clenched tight.

"I shouldn't risk using PSI against him; there's no telling what it could do to our surroundings. Perhaps I can help you in another way."

Jeff was limited himself. Bottle rockets or other explosives were out of the question, so he would have to rely on his skill with the pistol alone.

Another laser rebounded toward them, heading straight for Poo. Jeff's wide eyes apparently were enough of a warning, as he turned around and reflexively covered his face with his forearms just before it reached him. The beam collided with the armored bracers Ana had given him back in Summers, then faded entirely without bouncing again.

"Well, that's handy," Lloyd chuckled. "And it reminds me; I've got another one of your things here. You can have it if you win."

"Stay by the door," said Jeff, "and make sure he can't get out."

Poo moved to the exit as told, keeping his arms raised in case another laser went toward him. Lloyd's eyes narrowed, and he withdrew a small metal object from one of his suit pockets and tossed it into the doorway. The item rapidly expanded, becoming an iron pencil statue just large enough to block Poo's reentry.

"Jeff!" he yelled from the other side of the obstruction.

"I'll be fine! Go see if Ness and Paula need help; you can't do anything else here!"

Poo's footsteps could be heard moving away from the room after a moment, leaving Jeff to stare down Lloyd as the two raised their pistols again.

"It's you and me now," the Commander said. "Ready for your exam?"

Jeff fired another laser to the side and immediately dropped to one knee. His reflected blast shot over his head, bouncing against more tubes and grazing Lloyd's arm. The indirect hit didn't do more than briefly annoy him, and he returned with a series of his own attacks. Red lasers streaked throughout the room and left little space for Jeff- or his foe himself for that matter- to find a better vantage point.

"Maybe that was a bad idea," said Lloyd once the onslaught had ended, frowning at the singe mark on his suit. "No more being so trigger-happy for me."

His momentary distraction didn't go to waste, and Jeff rebounded a series of stunning blasts against the tubes to hit Lloyd in his legs, stomach, and chest. One even knocked the laser pistol out of his hand just as he released a final shot, which struck Jeff on the side. Both collapsed, the Commander unarmed and struggling to move while Jeff leaned against a tube to steady himself, holding his own weapon in one hand and clutching at the burn he sported with the other.

"I guess," Lloyd chuckled weakly, fumbling in his suit pocket on the ground for something, "that's all for me. You've become a really good shot, you know that? I wish I could stay, but there's no way I'll win this. I have to leave. You'll see me again soon enough, all right? Next time… well, that should be enough to free me. I'm sorry I hurt you."

He withdrew his hand, holding the same spherical device he'd escaped with after Jeff and Paula beat him in the fight for Milky Well. Lloyd dropped it in front of him, vanishing yet again.

There was no time to lament his escape; he had to tend to his wound. Jeff found his bag and dug through it for medical supplies. He'd started to take them for granted thanks to Ness and Poo being able to heal with their PSI, but it never hurt to be prepared for the worst.

As Jeff began applying treatment to his burn, he noticed something on the floor where Lloyd had been. It was a thin, silver band, adorned with small gems of various colors around its circumference. The object almost looked like a sort of crown, like…

"Is that one of Poo's lost items?"

He got to his feet- cringing from the wound- and picked it up. If this _was_ another stolen Dalaamese artifact, it needed to get back to the right hands as soon as possible.

Then he remembered the pencil blocking his way. Until his friends returned with Apple Kid's device, he was stuck there. Jeff could only hope they were doing well against whatever last line of defense the base no doubt had.

Although he wasn't psychic, somewhere in his gut he had a feeling things were going anything _but_ well.


	55. The Lurking Evil

Chapter 55: The Lurking Evil

Ness unleashed a Beta-level PK Rockin' when Paula was knocked to the ground, intent on getting Starman Deluxe away from her. The psychic beam proved more than useless against it; some previously-invisible force field over the robot reflected Ness's own technique back at him. Caught completely off guard, he had no chance to avoid it and was launched across the room, landing in a heap against one of the dormant golden Starmen.

"PSI Shield: Omega holding steady," Starman Deluxe said in a tone bordering on smug. "You lack a weapon, and your psychic power is useless against me. What will you do now?"

He pulled himself to his feet, casting Lifeup onto himself for a quick recovery. Ness wasn't going to let it scare him and tried again, this time with a Gamma-level attack. It reflected once more, and although he was able to get out of the way (letting the motionless Starman Super behind him be blown apart by it instead) the shield showed no signs of weakening.

Starman Deluxe scoffed at his efforts.

"Perhaps I was built to be _too_ powerful. Your pitiful attacks don't so much as cause my shield to falter. I planned to enjoy this victory, you know."

Ness pointed his fingers at the robot.

"PK Flash: Beta!"

Once again, nothing. His enemy wasn't even making any effort to fight back and just stood there, taking his PSI head-on without so much as a scratch. Worse still, he could feel his energy running low.

"I _will_ enjoy this, don't misunderstand me, but I must admit claiming victory over an enemy who poses no threat is unsatisfying."

Ness, knowing his PSI was currently useless, decided to conserve whatever he could of it. He looked at the scraps of the golden Starman behind him, and his eyes landed on one of its arms. It was still relatively intact but had gone rigid after being separated from the rest of its body. He picked it up, holding the arm like a conical, narrow, awkward-to-grip bat.

"Oh? Improvisation of a weapon?" Starman Deluxe hummed. "I'm almost impressed. Very well, come and get me. Give me the battle I was created for!"

He took a step forward and-

 ** _"_** ** _Ness…"_**

The world froze around him.

 ** _"_** ** _Won't you come… and play with me…? We can be… friends…"_**

It was the voice from before, and this time he knew there was no way he'd imagined it.

 ** _"_** ** _Wisdom, and courage, and friendship… can't we share them?"_**

Then it was over, and he returned to the moment at hand. Paula, still at Starman Deluxe's feet, was struggling to get up with a pained grimace on her face. Their enemy remained where it stood, violently trembling as it stared Ness down.

Wait, that wasn't right. _He_ was the one trembling.

The broken Starman arm was still gripped in his hands, but they shook like he'd been caught in sub-zero temperatures after dark. And the whisper was back, now louder than ever. It wasn't the voice of Ninten, or even the "Darkness" which had taunted him for a while. This was very much Giygas speaking, exactly like he had in Moonside.

 ** _"_** ** _We can't, can we? You wretched, weak Earth creature. I hate you. Because of you, what little remains of my mind is nearly gone. But that's okay…"_**

There was too much noise. The air was stifling, and the temperature was either too hot or too cold but he couldn't stop shaking regardless. He felt trapped, claustrophobic even though the chamber was quite spacious and he just wanted everything to _stop_.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Starman Deluxe. "Have you resigned yourself so easily to your fate?"

He could feel his heart pounding.

 ** _"_** ** _...my hatred for you is irrelevant…"_**

"Ness!"

Paula's voice was enough to quell the fear overtaking him just a bit. He turned his gaze to meet hers, and the astonished look in her eyes caught him off guard. Why was she staring at him like that? What was going on?

 ** _"…_** ** _because soon…"_**

"You won't fight unprovoked, it seems. Then allow me to _motivate you!_ "

Starman Deluxe had noticed her as well, and his heart came to a dead halt when it raised a foot above Paula. He couldn't even open his mouth to warn her before it slammed down.

 ** _"…_** ** _you'll be MINE, Ness."_**

Whatever else Giygas or his opponent may have said was drowned out by Paula's agonized, piercing screech. Starman Deluxe ground its heel against her broken leg, tormenting her even more while Ness just watched. Suddenly the room had no air whatsoever, and all feeling left his body to be replaced by memories.

He was in a wooden cabin, meeting a new partner to join him on his adventure. By rescuing her, he'd earned this companion's trust- and she soon became one of the best friends he would ever know.

He was with Paula and her parents, being chewed out by her father over lunch while her mother just laughed and teased them good-naturedly. Knowing that she had a family of her own to return to had made him subconsciously vow to get her home safely at the end of the journey. He'd lost Buzz Buzz, and he wouldn't lose Paula.

But he _did_ lose her. Next he was sprawled on his back in a darkened department store, watching helplessly as she was taken from him. He never forgot the look of terror on her face, or how utterly hopeless he'd felt afterwards.

She never once held it against him, though. She never held anything against him. Paula had been by his side longer than anyone else, his most trusted partner and friend in this whole ordeal. And here he was, paralyzed with fear at the sound of Giygas's taunts while she was horrifically injured before him.

Starman Deluxe crossed its arms, raising its foot again.

"Not enough, I see. Let's try aga-"

Without having to say a word, Ness flicked his hand to the side and _launched_ the robot against a wall. It destroyed another dormant golden Starman on impact, emitting a sound like radio static.

"How did you…"

Ness hurled the broken arm he held like a javelin, spearing it through Starman Deluxe's shoulder as it attempted to recompose itself. The psychic shield was useless against a physical strike like that, not that Ness was paying attention. He was in no right mind to worry about its defenses; he would tear it apart no matter what kind of shield got in his way.

It staggered from the blow, but wasn't giving up yet. The robot unleashed an Omega-level PK Freeze from its visor, making the temperature drop several degrees further. But Ness barely felt it. With a single clench of his fist, the attack dissipated into thin air before it came anywhere near him.

"I-impossible! How did your strength increase this much?!"

Something was happening to him. For a split second he'd been motivated to protect Paula from any further harm, but now… he didn't care about that. He didn't care about her, or anyone else. His singular desire was to utterly destroy his enemy, and the psychic power sparking within him reflected it perfectly. He stepped toward Starman Deluxe, effortlessly blasting a chunk of its torso apart with a PSI attack he didn't even recognize.

Strangely, a long, metal object fell out of the gaping hole in its body and noisily clattered to the floor. A sword? He didn't care, and continued to advance toward his foe.

"What _are_ you?!" it sputtered, its proud demeanor nowhere to be seen.

Ness didn't answer; whatever was overtaking him had effectively rendered him silent. Either that or he was just too enraged to say anything. Another clench of his fist, and one of its legs crumpled like it was made of paper. Starman Deluxe fell onto its good knee, now at about eye level with him and struggling to even move its arms. As Ness approached the robot, ready to finish it off, for a moment he saw his own reflection in its cracked visor, and then he understood.

* * *

Poo raced away from the prison as Jeff's fight recommenced. He hated having to leave him- especially after saying earlier that none of them should fight alone- but he couldn't get back into the room without the device to erase that pencil. For the time being, he would just have to help those he still could.

He sensed a spike of PSI somewhere ahead, prompting him to pick up the pace. Ness and Paula had clearly run into something unfriendly, and if it was guarding the mechanism to release the prisoners it must have been powerful.

A lone Starman, plated gold like so many others he'd faced, suddenly appeared in his way. Poo blasted PK Thunder at it, hardly paying the robot any mind. It vanished on the spot just as his attack was about to land, only to reappear directly before him. He was swatted to the ground by one of its long arms.

"You're one of the Four, aren't you?" it asked, visor glowing bright blue.

Poo kicked his legs back over his head and rolled to his feet. He couldn't afford to waste time with a single enemy.

"PK Freeze: Gamma!"

"PK Freeze: Gamma," it repeated.

Their blasts collided, throwing icy shards every which way. Poo cringed as several scratched against his face, but he didn't let it slow him down. He unleashed a wave of PK Fire, only to find the Starman was gone again. It warped back into view once the flames died out and fired a beam from its visor.

"Where are the others?"

Poo sidestepped the laser, almost chuckling at its question.

"Where've _you_ been? What were you doing all this time, while we were tearing through your fortress? Ness and Paula already got further ahead, and I was _about_ to help them before you showed up. But you don't matter; I've destroyed plenty of Starmen and I can take you down just as easily."

He cast another PK Thunder at it. The robot vanished, letting his attack streak by harmlessly, but just as it did he let out a third use of the technique. By the time his enemy reappeared, it was right in the path of his bolt.

"Zzzrk-!"

Electricity charged through the Starman's body, causing it to go rigid. That was enough time for Poo to deliver a solid leaping kick to its torso. Surprisingly, its armor didn't fold under the pressure like all the robots he'd destroyed to that point. The Starman _did_ stumble backwards, though it regained its balance just before it could topple over.

"Ness is beyond this point? I wasn't informed of this. They… they intended to leave me-"

It didn't get a chance to finish whatever it was going to say. From somewhere deeper in the base, something caused a monstrous spike of psychic power. Poo froze where he stood, mouth agape as the overwhelmingly _evil_ presence took hold.

To his further surprise, the Starman seemed to notice it as well. It turned to look down the corridor, apparently no longer interested in fighting.

"Master…?" he heard it mutter. "No, that can't be…"

And then it disappeared, this time not coming back. Poo didn't care where it had gone, breaking into a sprint down the rest of the hallway. He passed by a single branching room, but there was nothing of interest inside other than assorted scrap metal all over the floor. Dismissing the room as unimportant, he kept going until he finally reached what must have been the end of the base. The sinister force emanated from beyond a sealed metal door, which he barely had a second to look at before it was blown apart from the inside. The debris nearly collided with him.

"What the-?!"

Poo entered the room, expecting the worst given how strong the evil presence was, but still found himself stunned speechless by the chaos before him.

Wrecked, smoldering, golden Starmen strewn all over the chamber.

Paula's crumpled form just in front of the door. One of her legs was twisted in such a way that he knew it was broken, and she was bleeding profusely in several areas.

An even larger silver Starman, being casually tossed here and there with all the ease of a ragdoll. It had suffered more than enough damage to be effortlessly destroyed, but it was still functioning. The Starman was being kept barely operational by-

"Ness?"

He was standing with his back to Poo, swinging one hand up and down to repeatedly slam the Starman against the floor. At the call of his name, he squeezed the hand shut. There was a loud "crunch" as the robot was crushed into a miserable ball of scrap, then the room went deathly still.

Never in his life had Poo been so terrified. The overwhelming power, that unquestionably malevolent force, it was all coming from his leader- his friend. Ness slowly turned on the spot to face him, his expression entirely neutral and his irises the most vibrant, sickening shade of red he had ever seen.

"What's… happening to him…?" Paula asked from where she lay.

Poo couldn't give her an answer. He could only stare in horror at whatever monster was before them. Ness's gaze held on him for a moment before his expressionless face changed. He was smiling, showing no hints of fear at his own condition.

Then, without any sort of fanfare, the evil force hanging over them all was gone. Ness's eyes lost the sinister red glow, and he dropped where he stood, passing out altogether.

* * *

 _"_ _Well, wasn't that fun?"_

Ness flinched. The voice was coming from directly behind him. He opened his eyes, only to see an impenetrable black void in all directions.

 _"_ _Another vision,"_ he sighed. _"Is that you, Darkness or whatever dumb name you gave yourself? What do you want?"_

 _"_ _Pretty rude of you, given the great time we just had together."_

His head was killing him for some reason, and he really wasn't in the mood to listen to his annoying evil side.

 _"_ _I don't know what you mean. We're…"_

He paused. What _had_ he been doing just before the dream hit? His memory was, for lack of a better word, fuzzy. He remembered going into Stonehenge with his friends, fighting his way to the lowest levels, leaving Jeff and Poo behind to deal with Lloyd, then…

 _"…_ _no…"_

In a flash, all of it came back to him. Him engaging Starman Deluxe and proving useless against it, the combined sensations of exhaustion, dread, and paranoia all setting in simultaneously, and Paula recovering just in time to have one of her legs broken by the enemy. His heart raced, first at the thought of whether she was okay, then it only became worse when he remembered what had happened to _him._

 _"_ _You- you took me over!"_ he gasped, spinning where he stood to get a look at his unwelcome visitor.

Darkness was nowhere to be seen, but when he spoke again his voice was still directly behind Ness's head.

 _"_ _I wouldn't call it that. You were in trouble, your friend was in trouble, and you obviously weren't gonna do anything good enough to fix the problem. All I did was give you a little nudge in the right direction."_

 _"_ _Which was WHAT?! Making me lose control like that?"_

 _"_ _Don't try to put the blame on me,"_ the voice retorted. _"I'm not strong enough to take over your body. Everything you did in that fight? That was all you. I made you stop holding back, and you went to town."_

Ness grit his teeth. Try to deny it as he might, he knew his evil self wasn't lying. He _had_ been in control while effortlessly destroying Starman Deluxe. Any damage he dealt to it was under his own will, and the worst part was he'd _enjoyed_ letting his powers go off the deep end. The rush of energy, the sheer dominance he had over his enemy… it was an, exhilarating, horrifying sensation and he'd _relished_ in it. Ness had seen his own reflection, seen what his eyes were like. They were the same cherry red as the Commanders.

He'd heard Giygas speak to him, and he hadn't pushed the voice away.

 _"_ _But… why did you do that?"_ he asked. _"If you're against me, why didn't you just let me and Paula…"_

 _"_ _Hey, I don't wanna die either. If you kick the bucket, so will I."_

The most frustrating part of this was that his evil side had no visible form, so he couldn't even shoot him a glare.

 _"_ _That was some show you put on!"_ Darkness chuckled. _"You had Paula and Poo scared out of their minds."_

His stomach clenched; he remembered that as well. They had been afraid- afraid of _him_. And when he saw Poo standing there, looking like Ness had turned into a monster right before his eyes, he'd smiled.

 _"_ _All you, like I said. Maybe it was just the perfect storm of emotions in the moment… let's see, there's the anger you felt at Starman Deluxe, your own strong feelings for Paula, your anger at yourself- oh, now_ there's _a good one."_

Ness briefly considered punching himself in the face, both out of curiosity for if it would shut up this smug, taunting part of himself and out of his own shame.

 _"_ _I let Paula get hurt… I just stood there and watched it happen…"_

 _"_ _Don't beat yourself up too much. You saved her life, didn't you? I'm sure she'll swoon all over you now."_

 _"_ _Shut up!"_

He covered his ears. This, of course, did nothing to block out the voice.

 _"_ _Did I hit a nerve?" Darkness cackled. "Get used to it! Giygas can't be stopped, and you can't ever get rid of me, Ness! Just give up already."_

 _"_ _I said shut up!"_

 _"_ _Your own thoughts forced me into existence, you know!"_

 _"_ _SHUT UP!"_

His evil side hadn't raised his voice, yet somehow he was still deafening as Ness fruitlessly tried to ignore him.

 _"_ _This was ALWAYS going to happen. I've been in your head longer than even you know, Ness. For the rest of your adventure, I'll still be here, waiting for my time to take over. It's coming soon, I can feel it!"_

A dark, blurry shape began to form in front of him as the voice's laughter echoed. This must have been his chance to destroy the nightmare! He raised a hand, sparking with PSI, and prepared to blow it away altogether. The black void surrounding him flared bright red.

 _"_ _Your enemy made the right decision, and so did I!"_

"NESS!"

Then he was awake, his heart pounding and every part of his body racing with adrenaline. Something was physically restraining Ness while he sat upright in what felt like a bed, preventing him from leaping out in a panic. His hand, still charged with energy, was being clamped in a vice-like grip against his chest.

"NESS! _STOP!_ "

The red distortion around his vision faded. It was Poo holding him so tightly, keeping his hand pointed away from the very pale Dr. Andonuts who stood at the foot of the bed, a steaming mug in his hands. There were other people behind him: Apple Kid, a boy he recognized as Jeff's friend from the prison, a Mr. Saturn, Teddy…

Jeff. Paula.

All of them were staring at him with unmistakable fear in their eyes.

His vison blurred. The energy rushing through him died down, he felt Poo's grip slacken, and Ness buried his face in his violently shaking hands and let the tears fall.


	56. Chosen

Chapter 56: Chosen

It was a long time before anyone spoke.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Andonuts asked, so slowly it was like he expected Ness to erupt again. "You went through quite a lot, I'm told."

Ness _himself_ wasn't sure how to answer that. He lifted his watery eyes from his hands but couldn't bring himself to look at any of his friends.

"What's happening to me?" he murmured. "Why is my evil side in my head, making me snap like this? It happened in Fourside, and in the pyramid, and…"

"Hold on, what's this about an evil side?"

Poo hadn't moved away from him, reinforcing the notion that everyone was on edge around Ness. The genuine concern in his voice didn't help matters.

"I never told any of you about this, did I? I… I should've said something."

Feeling everyone's gazes made him want to curl into a ball, but he stayed as composed as he could. He owed them an explanation.

"Remember how I said I've been getting these… visions, ever since I left Onett?" he asked. "Sometimes in my sleep- the first one I got was from you, Paula, when you contacted me- and sometimes not. Mine aren't helpful, though. They're mostly just Giygas threatening me one way or another."

Ness took a deep breath.

"But in Fourside, they started to get worse. Instead of Giygas or Ninten speaking to me, it's usually been my own voice now. He's been taunting me at random ever since, calling himself Darkness, my evil side. It's because of him that I keep losing control over myself when something bad happens."

At least three of them gasped.

"I remember you snapping back then," Jeff said quietly. "When we lost Paula, you went _berserk_ on Ana. I… I actually thought you were about to kill her; nothing about how you acted seemed right. If it was because of the Mani Mani, though, why didn't it do the same thing to me? We weren't in the city for long before it started taking effect on you."

An answer came to Ness quickly.

"I was around it before that. Carpainter had the statue when I was in Happy Happy Village; it's how he took over the town. And before _that_ it was dug up in this long tunnel by an old hermit near my house. He showed it to me the night before I started this adventure, and even though I barely looked at it for a minute it was giving me evil thoughts the whole time."

"But what does this mean?" asked Teddy. "Why's this happening to you?"

"Giygas is trying to take him over."

Paula's first contribution to the discussion was enough to make Ness look up, but he almost immediately regretted it. The naked fear in her eyes from seeing him lose himself in the base, or even from a few minutes earlier, was gone. Her expression now was impossible to discern. Sadness? Worry? Whatever it was, looking her in the eyes made Ness feel guilt crush down on him. He noticed her leg appeared to be fine, but wasn't in any mood to question how at that time.

"Like he did with Ninten, Lloyd, and Ana," she continued, "he's trying to turn Ness to his side. Giygas knows how strong his PSI is, especially because it's just like his own."

She sounded like she wanted to cry. Ness had no idea what to say.

"It does make sense," Poo said. "He overtook his enemies once before, of course he'd want to do it again. But why only Ness? We're a formidable team together, but none of us have experienced the same torment as him. Wouldn't it be in his interests to take control of us all?"

Jeff rubbed his chin.

"It took years for the Commanders to fall to Giygas's influence. Maybe he _is_ trying the same thing for us, but it's still too early. That still doesn't explain Ness, though…"

"W-wait!"

To their surprise, it was Apple Kid who'd spoken up.

"You said you saw that evil statue at the beginning of your adventure, right? Hasn't it worked _really_ fast whenever it turned people bad? Maybe the influence has been chipping away at you ever since then, but if that's the case then why was it near your house specifically?"

And then, at that moment, just about everything fit into place for Ness in a horrifying cascade:

The reason he seemed to have specifically been subjected to the Mani Mani's influence more than anyone else.

The meaning of him being a chosen hero, and what Darkness had told him just before he woke up a few minutes ago.

The source of PK Rockin', a technique exactly like what Giygas could use.

Talah Rama had said he would gain wisdom once he reached all eight Sanctuaries, but it appeared the meaning of his whole life had come to him prematurely.

"Even before I started this adventure," he whispered, "Giygas has been influencing me. That's why the Mani Mani was buried near my house, waiting for me to see it when I was ready to learn PSI. Somehow, from the beginning, he _chose_ me for this."

* * *

 _Try as he might, Ninten just couldn't find the energy to smile much after the celebration._

 _Not to say he didn't appreciate it- he was incredibly touched by the surprise party his and Ana's families had thrown for them following their high school graduation, even if neither of the pair thought such an occasion was really worth a big event. Lloyd had shown up too, but the festivities weren't for him as he'd graduated two years early and was already in college. His rapid education had come as a surprise seemingly to him alone; Ninten always knew he would go far. Teddy wasn't around, but that may have been for the best. In fact, cynical as it was, part of him wished nobody was there. He was steadily beginning not to trust himself._

 _As the last of the guests filtered out, leaving only Ninten, his family, and his two closest friends for the remainder of the evening, he found himself alone with Ana in his living room. She didn't seem to be doing as well at hiding her worries as him, though nobody appeared to have caught on. He sat on the couch beside her and put an arm around her shoulder._

 _"_ _Feeling okay?"_

 _Ana leaned against him, sighing._

 _"_ _No. The voice, it keeps coming back no matter what I try to do…"_

 _"_ _Same here. Every day, I hear him a little louder. He's still out there somewhere, I know it."_

 _She stiffened._

 _"_ _Do you think he's really going to come back?"_

 _"_ _I'm almost sure of it. I don't know how long it'll be before he returns, or if we can stop him when he does. Especially with… well, this happening to us."_

 _Ninten wasn't going to say aloud the exact nature of their concerns; he didn't need to. The voice of Giygas had appeared sporadically in his head- in all their heads- ever since they confronted him and put a stop to his invasion. Now, six years later, he could be heard more and more frequently. As darkness slowly worked its way through Ninten's mind, with no clear way to stop it, he knew they only had so long before it overtook them. It was impossible to tell what would happen then._

 _He heard Ana sniff, and instinctively put his other arm around her. He kept her in the most comforting embrace he could, planting a few soft kisses against her head._

 _"_ _I'm afraid," she mumbled, her voice breaking. "I don't know what to do."_

 _Ninten didn't have a chance to say anything, as Lloyd entered the room just a moment later. He took a seat on the couch opposite them, across the coffee table, and wearily rubbed his forehead. His intrusion wasn't unwelcome; they needed to talk anyway. Despite that, none of them spoke for a while._

 _"_ _There must be someone else out there," Ana eventually said. "Someone who can stop Giygas."_

 _"_ _Not us?" Ninten asked. It was a pointless question, and he knew it, but he didn't want to just give up all hope._

 _"_ _As much as I want to believe we can win again," she explained, straightening her posture in his arms, "this… corruption in our heads, it's spreading. We might not be in any shape to fight Giygas off by the time he does return, unless that happens to be in the immediate future. Something tells me he's waiting for it to take full effect before he'll come back, anyway. Could take weeks, months, or maybe another few years for all I know. If we can't stand up to him, someone else will have to."_

 _Lloyd shrugged._

 _"_ _She brings up a good point. And we weren't even teenagers at the time. I'm sure there are some other bright kids out there who can step up to the task."_

 _"_ _This feels wrong," Ninten sighed. "Are we going to just set someone up to go fight him? A kid? I know something like this happened for us, but I don't think I can handle the thought of having to put the responsibility on anyone else."_

 _Lloyd removed his glasses and absentmindedly wiped the lenses with his shirt._

 _"_ _We might not have many other choices. Trust me, just thinking that makes me feel like crap, but it's our best bet right now. The question is, how can we find any new heroes?"_

 _Ana pulled herself away from Ninten, sitting fully upright._

 _"_ _I'll give it a try."_

 _Before either of them could ask what she had in mind, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ninten felt her PSI ripple as she reached out with it. They were all quiet for around a minute until Ana relaxed her psychic sense. She looked somewhat dismayed._

 _"_ _I think I've found someone. She definitely has the potential for PSI; I'm sure of it even if I didn't stay in contact with her for long. Ugh… I think she's even younger than we were back then. You're right, Ninten, I feel terrible about this…"_

 _Lloyd didn't say anything. He just had a solemn expression to match theirs._

 _"_ _Guess I'll do the same," said Ninten._

 _He repeated Ana's actions, letting his energy pulse as far across Eagleland as it could in search of someone who had enough psychic potential for him to notice. It briefly spiked in response to a girl- the same one Ana had found, most likely- so he kept reaching for just a bit longer-_

 ** _"_** ** _Ness…"_**

 _Ninten cut off his search instantly, grasping at his forehead in response to the sudden splitting pain he felt. The voice was gone in a flash, but he'd recognized it._

 _"_ _Are you okay? What just happened?!" asked Lloyd._

 _"_ _G… Giygas spoke again," he panted. "He mentioned a name: Ness."_

 _"_ _Is that all he said?" Ana pressed. "This could be the secret to beating him, did you learn anything else?"_

 _Ninten shook his head._

 _"_ _No. It's not a name I've ever heard, so I have no idea who Ness is or how Giygas knows him- or her."_

 _They were interrupted by a pair of nearly identical girls running into the room. Mimmie and Minnie, Ninten's thirteen-year-old sisters, came to a halt between the two couches._

 _"_ _There you are!" chirped Mimmie. "Mom says we can have more of the cake, so you'd better come get some or we'll eat it all!"_

 _And just like that, they were gone so quickly Ninten almost expected them to leave behind a dust cloud. Despite how somber the ambience had been moments earlier, the three friends shared a chuckle._

 _"_ _We'll figure something out," said Lloyd. "Now, come on. Your party's not over quite yet, whatever happens for the future can wait one night. You both deserve to enjoy this at least."_

 _The impending threat of Giygas hadn't left Ninten's mind- it never would- but he nodded in agreement. They got up to pursue his sisters before they could wolf down whatever was left of the cake, putting aside their troubles for the moment._

* * *

 **"** **NESS!"**

Ninten bolted upright from where he'd dozed off, the memory from just over four years ago being drowned out by Giygas suddenly roaring in his head.

"M-Master?! What is it?"

 **"** **I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him."**

Was that it? He knew Giygas was on a fast track to losing his mind- if he hadn't done so already- but something about this seemed different than a mere mad rambling.

 **"** **My friend, my new friend, my new friend, my friend. I hate him. I'm… happy… so happy…"**

Ninten paused mid-step on his way to check on the final Sanctuary. His heart skipped several beats.

"Your… new friend, Master…?"

 **"** **No more… no more use for you. Ness, my new friend… I need… more time, to befriend him. Ha ha ha ha. Yes, yes… my friend said so. Goodbye…"**

Then Giygas's voice was gone. Ninten felt, for a few seconds, what he could only describe as an _emptiness_ in his mind. It was the most surreal, uncomfortable experience he'd ever had, and the realization that struck him a moment later made it exponentially worse. They were still under Giygas's control, but they were Commanders no more. He intended to replace them, and by the sound of it he was close to doing so.

* * *

Another hour or so passed. Ness learned that, following his destruction of Starman Deluxe, the prison tubes had freed their occupants. Poo was forced to drag both him and Paula back to Jeff, who was stuck behind another pencil statue with the people they'd rescued. Seeing as Ness was out of commission, his friends had led them to safety, and the kidnapped citizens of Winters were free to go home.

As for their group, Dr. Andonuts had ushered them into his lab and set about mending Paula's leg with some other miraculous contraption he'd made. Ness himself had barely suffered any injuries, so they resorted to keeping him in a spare bed after taking a turn in the Instant Revitalizing Machine.

Apparently, the sword which had fallen out of Starman Deluxe was the second of Poo's lost treasures, being used as a makeshift power source for the robot. Ness didn't really get how that worked, but he'd encountered stranger concepts and decided not to dwell on it. Jeff had gotten a third item back as well, so according to Poo only the cloak was missing.

"I feel like I haven't seen you kids in forever!" Teddy said once Ness was caught up to speed. "Uh, how long _has_ it been? They were keeping me asleep in that tube."

"Two days, maybe three?" suggested Jeff. "So much has happened, it's getting hard to keep track of the time."

Teddy scratched his head.

"But you're almost done, right? What's your next move?"

"We're going back to Onett."

Ness picked up his backpack, wanting to get a move on- and to get as far away from Stonehenge as he could. The base may have been empty, but he didn't want to be anywhere near it.

"We'll get that book I mentioned from the library and let the Tenda read it. Then we'll head to the Lost Underworld and see what the writing in Summers was talking about."

"That's your hometown, isn't it?" Teddy asked. "Aren't you gonna see your family again?"

Ness hesitated, feeling a weight settle in his gut.

"…I don't think I should."

He flinched as a bewildered "what" came at him from four sources.

"You're kidding!" exclaimed Jeff. "You haven't had the chance to go back and visit, and now you that you have the chance you _won't?_ "

"I-"

Poo cut in before he could speak.

"When you brought up the idea in Deep Darkness, you sounded _thrilled_ by it. Why don't you want to see them?"

"It's not like that-"

"You can slow down a bit," said Teddy, "with how quick your progress has been. Take it easy for a day or two!"

"I DON'T WANT TO HURT THEM!"

The lab went silent after his outburst. Even Dr. Andonuts and Apple Kid, standing a good distance away, had snapped their attention to him.

"You all heard it, Giygas is trying to take control of me! He's _been_ trying ever since the night before I left home, and he's getting closer to pulling it off! What happens if he gets into my head around my family?"

Ness turned to look at Poo, then Paula.

"I was still able to see you two when I lost control in the base. I saw your faces. You were _afraid_ of me. I tore Starman Deluxe apart without breaking a sweat, what if I attacked you afterwards?"

"But you didn't."

Paula had stepped forward, her expression both kind and firm.

"But-"

"But _nothing_ , Ness! You didn't attack us even when you had the chance to. We weren't afraid _of_ you, we were worried _for_ you."

Ness felt another pang of guilt.

"That isn't much better-"

"Besides, you know what I think? Even if Giygas is trying to turn you evil, he hasn't been able to because you're not like everyone else the Mani Mani's affected."

Ness frowned.

"I'm not sure I understand. What makes me different?"

To his surprise, she took another step closer and lightly flicked his forehead.

"I don't know, how about the _Sanctuaries_ you've been visiting? Ninten and his friends didn't have those, right?"

"That's true," said Teddy. "They were collecting eight pieces of a song, but I've seen how you absorb the power from a Sanctuary. The melodies we had were nothing like them."

"Exactly!" Paula replied, throwing both hands in the air. "That must be why it's harder for Giygas to affect you than them! The Sanctuaries are making you stronger, even helping you resist his influence! It's like you said when I first joined you, once you get to all eight we'll be strong enough to fight Giygas for real!"

Ness had no idea what to say. He hoped it was true- he saw no reason it wouldn't be- but at the same time knowing that an evil influence was working away at his mind didn't do wonders for his confidence. To that point he'd only ever snapped when something _really_ bad happened, but what if it came out of nowhere for a change?

"I still don't think we should waste too much time," he eventually muttered.

"Oh, come on. We'll take a day off and hang around Onett," Paula said. Her usual smile had returned. "Just trust me, okay? It'll be good for you. We could all use a break."

There was no arguing with her, he conceded. Ness sighed and nodded in resignation to the idea, though he couldn't deny he was excited to go home.

"Are you all leaving already?"

It was Jeff's friend, Tony, who approached them. He was smiling, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm not sure what you're doing, but I know it's important. So… go do your best, all right? And take care of Jeff for me! We all miss him and Mr. Megane at school."

"We'll be fine," Jeff laughed. "Sorry I have to leave, but I promise we'll get to hang out again once we're done with our adventure. How are you going to get back to Snow Wood?"

"I know a safe path around the lake, so don't worry about me. Just make sure _you_ come back safe!"

They all headed outside into the cool air. Dr. Andonuts and Apple Kid, along with the Mr. Saturn they rescued, had set up what looked like a very large metal dinner plate and were stacking several crates of supplies onto it.

"What are you all doing?" asked Ness.

Dr. Andonuts chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, we're going to Eagleland with you! Mr. Saturn here says his people will be able to help us build a new Phase Distorter, since the prototype appears to have been stolen by our enemies."

"But with their help," said Apple Kid, "we should have the second version ready in no time! This pad should bring us to Saturn Valley, and that's where we'll get back to work. Come see us when you're ready to take on Giygas; we should have the Phase Distorter 2 completed by then."

"I don't think I can do anything more to help you kids right now," Teddy admitted, "so I'll go with them. Maybe by the end of your adventure there'll be something I can do for you. Good luck, and be sure to save my buddies!"

With that out of the way, they gathered around Poo. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spun on his heels, warping them away from Winters in an instant.

Ness was going home.


	57. Homebound

Chapter 57: Homebound

Onett, Ness concluded, hadn't changed a bit.

Having only been gone for a little over two weeks, he wasn't really expecting any drastic differences anyway. But as they walked up the street from where they'd appeared (just in front of the hotel he'd spent one hour in at the start of his adventure), the familiarity of his hometown set quickly. The roadside shops, the smell from his favorite burger joint, the morning rush of other unsupervised kids toward the arcade (without the Sharks reigning supreme, things had swiftly returned to normal), everything was just how he remembered it.

"Welcome to Onett," he told his friends, holding both arms out as if grandly presenting the town to them. "Population… uh, I'm not sure."

"I like it here already!" said Paula. "Where's your house?"

"It's at the north end of town. The library's not far, so we can stop in and pick up the book on our way."

His friends took in the sights as they walked, but he noticed Poo above all couldn't seem to focus on any one thing for more than a few seconds before something else drew his attention. Ness couldn't blame him; it must have been his first ever trip to Eagleland. Even Jeff, who also wasn't from the country, seemed to fit in better.

"Everything okay, Poo?" he asked.

"Oh, forgive me if I appear unsure of myself. This is all… well, it's _different_ from my home. I don't mean that disparagingly, but I have to admit I feel out of place."

Poo cracked a grin.

"I'm sure I _look_ out of place as well. Did you feel this way when I brought you to Dalaam?"

"Absolutely. I'm out of my element here too, you know," replied Jeff.

"It was a lot to take in for all of us," Ness said, "but I liked getting to see Dalaam. Heh, I still can't believe we're friends with a real prince."

"Please, as of right now I'm just your guest. And I hope to enjoy my time in Eagleland as much as you did in my country."

They reached the library after a few minutes of walking. It was just as familiar to Ness as the rest of Onett, but Jeff almost instantly seemed even more at home than he did.

"Snow Wood's got _nothing_ on all this!" he practically squealed. "There are more books here than I've ever seen! Once we beat Giygas I _definitely_ want to pay this place another visit."

He was at least able to stay focused and not wander off, though his attention never stayed in one place for more than a few seconds as he followed along.

Ness found what they'd come for soon enough. Pulling "Overcoming Shyness" out of its spot on the shelf, he stared at it with a warm feeling of nostalgia- and mild embarrassment at how he must have looked holding it. None of his friends made any remarks on the matter, regardless of what they were thinking. Once his reflection was over, he turned to lead them out and begin the walk home.

"Hey! Hey, Ness! Over here!"

He stopped short at the call and looked around to one of the tables. Picky Minch was there, waving him down and grinning widely. Ness smiled back as he walked over, but seeing him there only reminded him of Pokey, who as far as he knew had gone missing in Deep Darkness after his helicopter crashed.

"What's up? Are you still on that big adventure, saving the world?"

Ness chuckled and gave Picky a high-five.

"You bet. We're almost at the end, I think."

"Awesome! So, is what Buzz Buzz said true? Can you really use psychic powers? You've gotta show me!"

His friends had gathered around, Paula and Jeff in particular noticing the resemblance between Picky and his older brother. Neither of them said anything, though.

"I shouldn't do anything in here," Ness said, "but why don't you come by later? We're going to see my family, and I bet Tracy will want a demonstration too."

Picky slapped his forehead.

"Oh man, you _just_ missed her! She was in here with me ten minutes ago!"

He smirked.

"Was she now? Interesting place to ask her out."

"I-it wasn't anything like that!" Picky sputtered, reddening almost instantly. "We were doing our summer reading projects together for a bit."

 _There_ was a reality check Ness didn't need. He had his own assignment waiting for him when the adventure was over, and wasn't looking forward to it. Maybe Jeff could help him out…

"Who are your friends? Are they all psychic too?"

Jeff raised his hand with a meek smile.

"Everyone except me. I use bombs and lasers."

Under his hair, Ness swore Picky's eyes were sparkling.

"Awesome… I'm definitely coming by to see you in action later!"

He gave his neighbor a thumbs-up and turned to leave, only for Picky to mention the one topic he'd hoped to avoid, but knew was inevitable.

"By the way, uh… you haven't seen Pokey, have you? He just disappeared on us a day after you left. I figured he was going to try and join you, but…"

Unease passed through each member of the party, all of whom looked to Ness.

"No," he forced himself to say. "I haven't seen him since then. Sorry."

Picky sighed and nodded resignedly, returning to his book as they exited the library. Lying may not have been the best choice, but Ness couldn't bring himself to tell him what his brother had _really_ been getting up to.

It was just before noon when Ness's house came into view. Somehow, as he approached it along the path leading from town, he couldn't help but think it looked smaller than he remembered. To be expected after a globe-trotting adventure, perhaps, yet still surprising.

That didn't diminish his anxiousness to finally return home. In fact, when he glanced at his friends he realized he was quite a few yards ahead of them. They were almost at a light jog to keep up with him.

"Sorry, I didn't know how fast I was getting," he said, rubbing his head sheepishly.

Paula cracked a grin.

"I'm not sure when the last time you've been this excited was. Go on, surprise your family! We'll be right behind you."

Though he still felt a little bad to leave them in the dust, he closed the remaining distance to his house in a matter of seconds and stared at the front door. He took a deep breath, then gave a few quick knocks. What would he say to his family? What kind of impression should he give off? He already knew he _wouldn't_ say anything about what had happened in Stonehenge. He was worried about that enough by himself, and he didn't want his family to dwell on it with him. Ness _was_ out to save the world, perhaps he should strike a brave pose and say a cool one-liner. It would put them at ease, and perhaps him too.

The door opened, dispelling every thought he had. Before Ness could even decide just how nervous he suddenly felt, he was in an impromptu staring contest with his wide-eyed little sister, who stood there in complete silence.

"Hi, Tracy," he said, unable to hold back his smile. "How've you been?"

Then she was on top of him, practically screaming his name as she clung to him like a monkey. Ness almost fell off their front porch from her tackle but managed to stay upright as his mother came to the door, gasping when she saw him.

"We were in the neighborhood," he laughed, trying to loosen his sister's grip.

She rushed out to join Tracy, throwing her arms around Ness in an even tighter embrace. King was right behind her, happily licking his fingers and wagging his tail. He welled up, but this time it was hardly out of fear or grief.

He was home.

"Mom, Tracy," he said once the vicious hug had ended, "these are my friends I've told you about. Paula, Jeff, and Poo."

His companions weren't intruding on the reunion, but looked on from just behind him.

Tracy, as he'd both expected and dreaded, gave a snort.

"Hold on, _what's_ his name?"

Poo bowed to them, not seeming to understand what she found so funny.

"I am Poo, the Prince of Dalaam. It's an honor to meet you."

Learning who he was made Tracy shut up _fast_ , and she almost took a step back as if worried he would retaliate.

"My goodness, a prince?" his mom exclaimed. "Please, come inside! I had no idea Ness was with someone so important! I was just about to make lunch, but I'm not sure if anything we have is good enough for you."

"Please, don't worry. For now I'm just Ness's friend, and your guest. You don't need to go out of your way to satisfy me."

As they all entered the house, and the familiarity of it sunk in for Ness, it truly hit him just how happy he was to be back.

* * *

For all the excitement of being home, the remainder of the day passed rather uneventfully. That was hardly a bad thing; after all the recent excitement it was nice to lay low for a bit. Poo repeatedly insisted that he would eat the same food as the rest of them, and although he ate the steak cooked for them as promised it was clear he didn't exactly have a taste for it. Dalaam must have been even more different than Ness realized.

They took the time to properly bathe and even get their laundry cleaned- something that Ness in particular hadn't had the chance to do for over two weeks- to be fully prepared for the next leg of their adventure. And, of course, they were on the receiving end of a constant stream of questions during the visit. Ness hadn't called since he left Winters for the first time, so there was a lot to catch them up on. Of course, even his recap didn't stop his mom and Tracy from hounding them for every detail they could recall. The only topic they didn't mention, just as Ness had planned, was his lingering corruption from Giygas. Tracy frantically scrawled in a notebook the whole time, saying that she'd been given "enough ideas for years of new campaigns." Ness didn't really get what that meant, but something told him not asking about it was the way to go. Naturally, they also showed off their PSI and Jeff's gadgets to her and Picky, who'd come by as promised for a demonstration.

"I'll be honest," Ness's mom said when they had settled down for dinner that evening, "when I came into your room the day you left and saw that talking bug on your desk, I'm not sure why I believed him. I mean, he told me you were going to save the world and for some reason it just felt _right_."

"I didn't think I could do it," Ness replied. "Not all by myself. But, well, I'm not by myself anymore."

He couldn't help but grin.

"That's why we're the Chosen _Four_ , not the Chosen One."

Tracy put her hand up.

"Wait, I thought you said those guys who fought Giygas ten years ago were the real heroes. Or are you _all_ the chosen heroes?"

Ness chuckled.

"We're not sure how it works either. I think the only person who would know the truth is Buzz Buzz, but I can't talk to him now that he's turned into the Sound Stone. We might never get a real answer."

"It doesn't really matter, though," said Jeff. "I think we can stop Giygas, chosen or not."

"You're all so inspiring!" Ness's mom laughed, getting up from the table. "Now, let's see if we have any dessert to offer our brave heroes…"

The evening carried on, everyone in higher spirits than they'd been in for a long time, and he wondered how he ever could have thought coming home was a bad idea.

* * *

Ness hadn't slept under the stars for some time, and he'd almost forgotten how nice it was.

Having opted to spend the night at home before returning to Deep Darkness, they set up sleeping bags in his backyard at his own insistence. While the chance to sleep in his bed after his long departure was tempting, there wasn't much space for his friends in the house and he didn't want to make them bunch up on the living room sofas. They would stay together, no matter what.

That was how he found himself gazing at the night sky while his friends drifted off around him. They'd come far on their adventure, and still had a ways to go, but for the moment he enjoyed the sense of peace.

Jeff was out cold- possibly the first time Ness had ever really _seen_ him like that, he realized- and Poo gently snored as well. He was about to shut down for the night himself, but he noticed that Paula was still awake in the adjacent sleeping bag.

"You were really happy all day, weren't you?" she whispered, staring at the stars with him.

"Yeah. Thanks for convincing me to come back, I guess I needed this more than I realized. Are you sure you don't want to visit Twoson?"

"Nah, we should probably get a move on in the morning. We're this close to beating Giygas," she said, holding two fingers an inch apart, "and I don't want to go home until it's over."

Ness turned to look at her, and found she was staring back at him. A few relatively awkward seconds passed in silence. Even in the dark he could see her face reddening, and he felt himself heating up in return. He just didn't know what to say.

"Ness…"

Paula glanced at Jeff and Poo, as if ensuring they were really asleep. Apparently not convinced, she instead said nothing at all, but moved a hand out of her sleeping bag. Ness watched, unblinking, as Paula drew a heart in a small patch of dirt between them. He looked her in the eyes again, not quite believing what he saw. But his astonishment didn't last, and he knew what he had to do. Ness reached over and drew a heart of his own just beside hers.

Was it ridiculous? Perhaps. Cheesy? Unquestionably. But when he looked at Paula afterwards, she was giving him probably the biggest smile he'd ever seen. Neither of them said another word as they then reached toward each other, their fingertips nearly touching. Just before contact, however, something changed. Ness clenched his hand into a fist, which she bumped with her own to confirm mutual understanding. Paula was one of the best friends he'd made in his life, and for the time being their relationship would stay that way. But once it was over, things could be different. They gave each other a silent nod, then settled in for the night.

No threatening visions or dreams came to Ness, but he had difficulty falling asleep anyway. He was just too darned happy.


	58. Lights in the Tunnel

Chapter 58: Lights in the Tunnel

Their clothes were all washed, they'd been given more food for the journey ahead, and they'd each had the chance to clean themselves up. The Chosen Four were ready to go once again. Ness found himself in a similar position to the beginning of his adventure, tightly hugging his family before he left.

"Go kick some alien butt!" Tracy said.

(Ruff! Come back safe and give me more steak at dinner!) Ness heard in King's thoughts.

His mom held the embrace longest.

"My little man's growing up too fast," she chuckled. "You know I'll still worry for you no matter how strong you get, right? Be careful out there."

"I will. We're almost at the end, and we're not going to lose now."

He and his friends gathered around Poo in the front yard. After one final wave goodbye, they were gone.

The world spun back into focus seconds later, and the group arrived just in front of the entrance to Tenda Village. After seventeen days on the adventure- Ness still couldn't believe that was how short it had _actually_ been- teleporting halfway across the planet didn't make them so much as bat an eye. That was just the norm, alongside psychic powers, aliens, robots, and everything else.

They entered the cave, greeted once again by the sight of stubby green creatures hiding from them. Only one didn't immediately flee: Talky, who approached the group with a grin on his tiny face.

"Heya! Nice to see you back. I've been trying to get my friends to open up, but it hasn't really worked. We might not get that rock out of the way for a while."

"We have an idea," Ness said. "Will they listen to you at least?"

"I think so. Want me to tell them something?"

He dug "Overcoming Shyness" out of his backpack, handing it over.

"Can you read this to them?"

Talky stared at it, then nodded.

"Sure can! But we'll still need you guys to be somewhere else in the meantime. There's an alcove toward the back of the village you can wait in; I'll even get some Tenda tea for you. Just hang out there for a bit, okay?"

With nothing better to do for the moment, they complied and headed into the room. It wasn't as cramped as Ness expected, allowing them to all sit together without being cramped. Talky came in a moment later with four stone cups of some steaming brown liquid.

"Enjoy! This shouldn't take too long."

Ness took his cup and looked hesitantly at the drink. It had an unidentifiable sweet smell.

"Bottoms up," said Paula, clearly not as wary of it as him.

They all took a sip together. As Ness started drinking, he felt the world around him slip away into a familiar tranquility.

* * *

 _Like a great tapestry, vertical and horizontal threads have met and become intertwined, creating a huge, beautiful image._

 _You have come a long way on this never-ending journey, and your travels have left a large impact. You are not the same young man as you were at the beginning. Have you ever stopped to consider how much your power has grown? Now, you could fell enemies in Onett and Twoson with one blow._

 _But it was not your power alone that brought you here. Along your way, you have gained friends. They have supported you, just as you have supported them. You have braved unimaginable challenges together, but you have struggled, fought, and surpassed every obstacle to make it this far._

 _As you certainly know, you cannot turn back. Giygas, the arch fiend of the universe, is growing frightened of you and your power. But he is also taking advantage of it, seeking to use you as his enforcer of destruction. You have achieved courage and friendship along your way, but despite knowing this sinister plot you have not truly found wisdom yet. Only by seeking out the final Sanctuaries can you discover the real nature of your life._

 _From here, the challenge grows and your journey will take you beyond anything you ever imagined. You are drawing near to Giygas. Remember, though you may struggle through hardships, every success you achieve disrupts your enemy's plans just as much._

 _By the way…_

 _…_ _do you know where Pokey went?_

 _When this cup of tea is finished, your adventure will continue. The destinies of you and your friends are approaching. Believe in yourselves and press forward._

 _Ness!_

 _Paula!_

 _Jeff!_

 _Poo!_

 _I wish you luck…_

* * *

The innermost chamber of the base lay in ruins. Debris and wrecked Starmen Supers were strewn everywhere, a testament to how powerful the enemies of Giygas had become. Starman Deluxe was unrecognizable in its current state. In fact, the only reason it could be distinguished from the rest of the miserable scrap was the significantly worse condition it had been left in. Someone had clearly taken sadistic glee in destroying it.

Starman Junior was motionless as it stared at the crumpled metal ball that was Deluxe's remains. There was no "someone" about this; it must have been the boy in the red cap. Ness. The surge of overwhelming psychic energy couldn't have belonged to anyone else.

Why, then, had its reading been nearly identical to Giygas's own power?

During their battle for the Rainy Circle, Ness had used PSI of a similar type as well. Starman Junior hadn't quite registered that fact in the heat of the moment, but now there was no mistaking it. This human boy possessed an ability that not even the highest-ranking Starmen could attain, that should have been exclusive to Giygas.

 _"…_ _but why?"_

The only possible explanation was that Giygas himself had granted Ness this power. How, and when, Starman Junior couldn't say. It shouldn't have been possible, given the timeframe of the invasion.

 _"…_ _timeframe…"_

Even though it had been repaired and reactivated, it wasn't completely intact. There was a component that couldn't be fixed, the one which had brought it here in the first place: the temporal drive, installed to let it chase down the fugitive Buzz Buzz. Starman Junior had failed to stop him, and failed to defeat Ness, yet the Commanders in this alternate timeline continued to repair it anyway. Now the reason was clear.

 _"_ _I was the template model to speed up production of the Starman army, but they must have also replicated my temporal drive. The powers wielded by Master Giygas appear in Ness as well, no doubt planted in him as a child and awakened by his exposure to the Mani Mani. But the statue's presence cannot be explained by mere convenience, unless-"_

A wave of static in its head killed that train of thought. Suddenly it had no interest whatsoever in trying to understand Giygas or his logic. The malfunction in its system had set in again, redirecting its focus.

It had been humiliated by a scrawny Earth child. Individuality wasn't part of a Starman's programming- not for one as low-ranking as it, anyway- but the malfunction following its first defeat had brought about a new change in Starman Junior: hatred. Not a programmed reaction, nor an innate identification of its enemies. No, it simply _hated_ Ness with every fiber of its being.

But it wasn't so enraged as to lose all rationality. In its current state, it would be no match for Ness and his friends. It turned to survey what was left of the base, looking over the various heaps of scrap metal. There was still enough to work with here, including Starman Deluxe's blueprints in the main data storage.

"You used me as nothing more than a template," it said to the crumpled metal ball, "and you still proved no match for the boy. I, however, will overcome any failure, no matter how many attempts it takes to kill him. Unlike you, I possess more than mere programming."

If it had a mouth, it would have smiled. There was work to be done.

"I will persevere."

* * *

Ness blinked. The teacup was empty in his hands, and he wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there. Around him, his friends looked to be coming out of their own trances. Poo stared at his cup with a raised brow.

"Did anyone else-"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"I thought I was just going nuts when we had the Saturn coffee," said Jeff. "You guys had a… er, speech, too?"

Paula giggled.

"Absolutely! It told me about the adventure, the people I've met, the things I've done… but I have no idea where it came from."

Before they could make any further remarks, the sound of subdued chattering came from outside the small cavern. To Ness's delight, when they stepped back into Tenda Village they found the gumdrop-looking creatures milling about and quietly speaking to one another.

"Heeey! Over here!"

Talky was standing by the rock obstructing their way forwards, beside the muscular Tenda.

"Thanks for helping me out," he said when they approached. "Now I guess I'll have to change my name to something else! You had to get to the Lost Underworld, right? Beefy, do your thing!"

His friend flexed his arms, then hoisted the rock above his head and tossed it aside. A deep, dark hole with a rope leading down presented itself to them.

"Right down there," Talky said, "is a path through Lumine Hall. At the end of it is the entrance to the Lost Underworld. You can't miss it! Oh yeah, here's your book. We won't be needing it anymore."

Ness put it in his backpack, and after waving to the Tenda one last time he descended the rope with his friends not far behind. They had been through so much trying to get there; what would they find at the bottom? He felt his feet touch solid ground, turned to get a good look at his surroundings, and…

Another cave. Why did he expect anything different? It was just a tunnel leading to a branched path, with neither side looking any different than the other.

"Good evening."

He jumped and looked to his left. A lumpy boulder, nearly his height, was the only other thing in the cave with them.

"I am a talking rock," it said, despite having no mouth.

Of course it was. Ness might have been more surprised if it _didn't_ talk.

"Do you know how to get to the Lost Underworld?" he asked it. The branching path gave him a sense of annoyed dread.

"Just go through here. The tunnels eventually converge to one spot, so as long as you don't go backwards you'll make it. Inside, there are great beasts that shake the earth… but more importantly, there's another talking rock! He's much more important than I am; be sure to meet him."

It occurred to Ness that he had no idea what they were even looking for in the Lost Underworld. Maybe this rock held the answers- or _was_ the answer.

"We'll do that, thanks."

They set forth into the dim tunnel, and they walked.

And walked.

And walked.

Ness learned soon enough that trusting the directions of an immobile talking rock was a terrible idea. The cave twisted, branched, and led them in circles to the point that he didn't even remember which ways they'd already been through. And unlike the mole hole in the desert, there weren't even any monsters to fight.

"I hate everything about this place," he groaned after what must have been two hours of continuous hiking. "How do we know if we're even getting closer?"

"I think we're getting closer to _something_ ," Paula said, suddenly sounding excited, "your pocket's glowing!"

He withdrew the Sound Stone. Sure enough, it pulsed with golden light, pointing them toward a nearby Sanctuary. Ness, not feeling nearly as frustrated anymore, turned to follow its signal and found himself staring at one of the tunnel's walls.

"It's really bright, so we must be close! Let's find a way around there."

They used the Sound Stone as a compass of sorts, following the twists and turns to keep its light pointing straight ahead of them. The glow became more and more intense until they rounded a final corner and-

"PSI Brainshock: Omega."

Ness couldn't move. No sooner had their destination- a significantly narrower area of the tunnel- come into view before his vison blurred and nausea washed over him. He stumbled, nearly falling.

"Ana's been teaching me a few tricks. Impressed?"

His sight cleared, revealing Ninten blocking the way forwards. He had a baseball bat loosely held in one hand, and his other flared with blue PSI energy. Strangely, he was wearing a regal-looking purple coat around his shoulders like a cape.

"That's the last of our relics," said Poo, who based on the cringe in his tone sounded like he was getting over the disorientation as well. "What do you think you're doing, wearing the Cloak of Kings like that?"

Ninten rested his bat on his shoulder as they collected themselves.

"Heh… Ana said it looks dumb like this too. I put it on thinking it would make my PSI stronger, but I guess it doesn't work for anyone other than you."

He slid the relic off, tossing it to Poo.

"I'd say you've earned it. More good news, I'm not here to fight you. The seventh Sanctuary's all yours; no monster to deal with, no trials to pass. You went through enough under Stonehenge."

Ness was more confused than relieved, and didn't let his guard down. He lacked a bat of his own (having forgotten to get a new one in Onett), but his PSI would more than suffice if it came down to a fight. Ninten, looking them over, cracked a smirk.

"The memories this brings back… okay, here's what's up: you're almost done! Just one Sanctuary left after this, and we're all that stands between you and the eighth spot. We'll be waiting for you at the Fire Spring, don't take too long! PSI Quicken: Alpha!"

Before they could even try to stop him, he fled through the narrow tunnel behind him at an inhuman speed.

"Was he serious?" asked Paula. "No guardian this time?"

"We're getting close to Giygas," Jeff said, "so the hardest fights are probably coming soon. Let's just appreciate not having one right now."

Poo slid the Cloak of Kings on over his gi. Together with the silver Bracers on his arms, the Diadem on his head, and the Sword in its scabbard on his waist, the final relic completed his kingly attire.

"Looking good," said Ness, grinning.

"At last, I have them back…"

Taking a deep breath, Poo gave off a flash of psychic energy. The united artifacts resonated in each other's presence, momentarily glowing a light pink.

"We're ready," he announced after a moment of silent concentration. "Lead the way, Ness. I'll fight alongside you all with everything my training in Dalaam has given me."

"So cool…" Paula murmured. He didn't say anything, but Ness wholeheartedly agreed.

They followed the narrow tunnel, spurred on by the Sound Stone's now brilliant golden light. When the path widened again, the four found themselves in a location that Ness figured _must_ have been Lumine Hall, the place Talky mentioned.

It was spellbinding, and mysterious, and tranquil, all at once. Every surface of the short stretch of tunnel before them was covered in hundreds of green, gently pulsing lights. Ness couldn't tell what was producing them, but somehow he decided he didn't want to know.

 _"_ _We've made it so far… just one more Sanctuary, then it's on to Giygas. What… what'll happen to us then? He's still trying to corrupt me, isn't he? Will I be okay? Will we all be okay?"_

"Ness…? Look above us."

Paula's voice got him to look at the ceiling, on which the lights had rearranged themselves and were pulsing in the shapes of letters. They spelled out exactly what he'd just pondered.

 _"_ _My thoughts are…"_

"…being written out in the lights," he whispered, watching them shape the rest of it as he spoke.

"You're still worried about Giygas in your head?" asked Jeff.

Ness was quiet for a moment.

"Yeah. I guess I am."

He knew where his worrying would take him. He knew the dark force in his mind fed on his own self-doubt, and he knew he couldn't let it impact him again. Not like it had under Stonehenge. Not when he had people counting on him.

"But you know what? That's not going to stop me- stop _us._ We've got him on the ropes now, and we're almost ready to fight him for real."

"We're with you until the end," said Poo.

Paula nodded.

"I've got your back, no matter what!"

"I can't imagine anyone better to save the world with," Jeff chuckled.

Ness stood in the middle of Lumine Hall and raised the Sound Stone. It flashed, he felt the usual ripple of psychic power, and another fragment of music was added to its song. So close to being complete… wondering what the full melody would sound like was driving him crazy!

A vision appeared in his head. He was a baby, being cradled in the arms of a tall, smiling man with dark hair.

 _"_ _I hope Dad gets to come home soon…"_

Then it was over. He put the Sound Stone in his pocket again, and proceeded to the deepest part of the tunnel. Like they'd been told, a very conspicuous hole presented itself to the group. It was too dark to see in, and there was no rope tied around this one, but they knew they had found their destination after searching for so long.

The time had come to explore the Lost Underworld.


	59. Lost Underworld

Chapter 59: Lost Underworld

The most amazing landscape Ness had ever seen stretched out before him. A vast, bright blue sky reached for miles over the lush terrain, dotted with thousands of trees and even mountains reaching high above the group. Just standing there, having finally reached the Lost Underworld and seeing its incredible view, made the long and arduous search for it worth the effort.

"…what the heck?"

Jeff sounded more than a little bemused. He was staring directly above them, at a spot where the sky seemed to just… stop. A dark circle hovered several hundred feet in the air. The immersion ruined, Ness quickly realized what he found so odd.

"How did we get here?" he asked aloud. "I mean, we're still underground, right?"

Poo was scratching his head.

"We should be. This must be some work of… I don't know, no PSI I've ever heard of can make such an effect."

"Is it magic?" asked Paula. "Is magic real too?"

Ness shrugged.

"That's the only explanation I've got. Did we really just jump into that hole, fall hundreds of feet, and _live?_ How? None of us are even hurt!"

"Well, you've got me," Jeff muttered, "by all accounts it doesn't make sense."

Reaching a silent but unanimous agreement not to question it further, they took their first steps into the Lost Underworld, seeking out the "Fire Spring" Ninten had described. For as bright and warm as it was, the place didn't seem to have a sun- or any source of light for that matter. Just another mystery they would most likely never know the answer to, Ness supposed.

 _BOOM._

A thunderous stomp from just behind them snapped his thoughts away from questioning any more logic, and the aforementioned light disappeared as an enormous shadow passed over the group. Ness dared to look at what had approached them, finding himself struck dumb at the sight.

"GRRR…"

It was a dinosaur. A real-life, twenty-foot tall dinosaur, covered in olive green scales with a black horn on its snout. The beast stared at them, its beady black eyes showing no signs of aggression. Then it raised one of its two gargantuan feet to try and crush them.

They scattered, barely managing to avoid a grizzly fate. Ness wound up between the dinosaur's feet and cast several PSI Paralysis bursts that did little to slow it down. It began to stomp around him in the hopes of crushing him underfoot again, and he suspected that staying directly beneath the dinosaur may have been a terrible idea. His friends were hesitating to come to his rescue, as if afraid anything they did would provoke the beast to sit down.

"HEY!"

A high-pitched voice could be heard even over their foe's frustrated growling. It was a Tenda, identical to the ones from the village, shouting to them from the nearby shrubbery.

"What're you doing in our dinosaur cage?! Come this way, I'll get you out of there!"

With no better ideas at hand, Ness ran out from beneath the monster and cast PK Flash at its face. The resulting light burst disoriented it, making the dinosaur stumble in a daze and giving them an opening. They sprinted as fast as they could after the Tenda, pushing past trees and shrubs in a mad dash to get away from there. Somewhere behind them, the dinosaur gave an enraged roar when it realized they'd gotten away but made no further attempts to chase the group.

"Are there more of you down here?" Ness asked between gasps for breath once they'd put sufficient distance between themselves and the dinosaur.

"Of course," said the Tenda guide. "We got tired of how shy our friends up above were, so we moved out. The dinosaurs aren't much for conversation, but at least they don't leave you in awkward silence!"

"We just helped them get over that," Paula said. "They're much more talkative now."

"Really? No kidding! Maybe we'll go visit them sometime. What brings you all down here, then?"

Ness looked at the Sound Stone. It wasn't glowing as he'd hoped.

"We need to find a place called the Fire Spring. Do you know where it is?"

"I've never heard of it, but the talking rock might! He knows _everything_ about this place. Follow me!"

The Tenda led them to the shrubbery's edge, where the landscape opened up into another plain. After quickly checking to make sure no other dinosaurs were around, they bolted to the next wooded area. Repeating this process several times, the group made their way across the region until a village of tiny houses surrounded by a tall, gated wooden fence came into view. In fact, the fence was so tall that it prevented another dinosaur lingering near the town from breaking in. As they hastily rushed through the gate and shut it behind them, Ness decided he would rather not question how such enormous creatures were at all held back by a wooden fence. More Tenda gathered before them, muttering to each other.

"Visitors!" one said, approaching Ness with his (or her; their voices all sounded identical) hand out. He had to stoop a bit to shake it.

"We haven't had visitors in a long time! Did you get through the dinosaur cage all right?"

"Thanks to me," their guide boasted. "They say the Tenda up above aren't shy anymore."

The townsfolk erupted in more excited chatter, but quieted down when the one who greeted Ness waved his arms in the air.

"Shh! These guys must be important! Are you all looking for the talking rock?"

Ness blinked.

"Y-yeah. How'd you know?"

Beckoning for them to follow him, the Tenda trotted off through the village.

"The talking rock knows _so_ much stuff," he explained. "He knows what's happening up on the surface, and he knows about this whole 'War Against Giygas' you've been waging. When he started telling us there was something important related to saving the world down here, we figured it was only a matter of time before some humans came looking for it."

They reached a far corner of the town, where a black, lumpy boulder awaited. A pair of hollow grooves on its surface gave the impression of eyes. The Tenda backed away, leaving them to speak privately with the rock.

"Welcome," it said from no discernible source. "Ness, and Paula, and Jeff, and Poo… you finally came. It is an honor to meet you."

To his left, Poo gave the rock a short bow. Ness had no idea how else to respond and somewhat awkwardly did the same, followed by Paula and Jeff.

"You are nearing the end of your long, winding journey," the rock continued, "and the final Sanctuary is close at hand. It is called Fire Spring, located west of this village. But before you leave, I have something important to tell you all. Please, listen carefully."

Feeling his heartbeat inexplicably quicken, Ness nodded.

"You're the Chosen Four, the quartet who will save this world. You have questioned the nature of what chose you several times throughout your adventure, but the reality is there is no one definitive source."

The rock's eye holes suddenly shifted to look at Poo.

"Ancestry, and the lineage of your people…"

Its gaze turned to Paula and Jeff next.

"The heroes preceding you, who recognized your talents…"

And finally it was looking at Ness.

"Fragments of hope from a devastated future, and the machinations of your enemy himself…"

The rock shifted so it wasn't singling anyone out.

"And, of course, each other. All manner of forces have brought you down this path. What matters now is that you complete the task at hand. The destiny of the whole universe rests on you four."

Ness swallowed hard.

"There will come a day in which all of you in the universe will overlap each other. You don't have to understand now. One last Sanctuary awaits you… one last melody to collect before you, Ness, obtain the wisdom you have long sought out. Reach this final point of power, and unlock your ultimate potential, and you will finally have what it takes to defeat Giygas."

The rock's speech came to an end, but Ness didn't say anything for a moment. He didn't know what _to_ say. Did he have his doubts? Of course. He was still confident that they could overcome one last obstacle as a team, but in the far reaches of his mind an apprehension itched away at him. Turning to face his friends, he managed a small grin.

"Together?"

"Together," they repeated. It was all that needed to be said.

On their way back to the village gate, a group of Tenda intercepted them and handed something to Ness. It was a baseball bat, of the finest make he'd ever seen. Its sleek wooden body seemed to reflect light, and though it didn't weigh much it still felt sturdier than any of the previous ones he'd wielded. It wasn't anything special as a weapon, especially compared to Jeff's laser gun and Poo's sword, but Ness couldn't help but admire it anyway.

"Good luck, heroes!"

"You've got this!"

"Everyone's counting on you!"

The townsfolk shouted encouragement all the way back to the gate, which was quickly shut behind them to prevent any dinosaur intrusions.

"Okay, to the west…"

Of course, Ness had no idea which direction that was relative to their location. He pulled out the Sound Stone, but it wasn't glowing; Fire Spring must not have been close enough.

 ** _"_** ** _Ness…"_**

He froze, instantly bracing himself for the worst. But nothing happened. The voice of Giygas didn't speak again, and he didn't feel himself losing control. What he _did_ feel was something he could only describe as a mental "pull," similar to what drew him to Paula on the second day of his adventure (which reminded him, if he'd kept time right they were currently around night eighteen). It was trying to lead him away from the village- whether or not that was westward, he had no clue.

"This way," he said aloud, walking in the same direction. They had no other leads to go on, so he could only hope the odd sensation would take him to Fire Spring.

Much of the trek was spent in silence, anticipation for the end looming over them. The group ran between patches of thick shrubbery whenever another dinosaur came into view, hiding until it stomped past. This method of travel was slow, but kept them safe as they approached what appeared to be the end of the Lost Underworld- and the unsettling force calling Ness toward it.

They were met by a mountain range reaching further up than they could see, at the very base of which was the entrance to a cave. The air went still around them.

"Is this where the Sanctuary is?" asked Poo. "Something feels… wrong."

Ness pulled out the Sound Stone. It had begun to glow once again, but it was guiding him further to his left.

"This isn't the place. We're close, though."

As much as he wanted to disregard the odd cave and move on, his curiosity- or perhaps the mental tug- was getting the better of him.

"Let's just take a look in here first," he said, "in case there's something important inside."

When he stepped through the hole in the mountainside, he couldn't tell if he was right or not. He stood at the top of a grassy cliff, an endless drop into darkness on all sides. From a distance, he could see a long plateau featuring more grass and, oddly, a lumpy metal object sitting abandoned at the far end of it. They were too far to identify whatever it was, and there was no way across, but the pull on his mind continued urging Ness to approach.

And then it stopped. It was just… gone. Suddenly his head felt clear, and he found he was able to focus properly once again.

"I wonder what that is," remarked Jeff, who was peering at the scrap metal from across the chasm. "Too bad we can't reach it."

Ness looked at the Sound Stone again. It continued to glow, directing them back the way they came.

"Maybe we can find another way around once we get to Fire Spring. Let's get going; there's nothing else here."

Pushing the odd cliff and the force that had drawn him there out of his head, he followed the guiding light to their destination. It led them to yet another cave, but as they approached it became clear how the Sanctuary had gotten its name. Before the group could even enter, they were hit by a significant rise in temperature. The grass they walked on grew thinner and thinner the closer they got, until no plant life surrounded the cave whatsoever. Even from outside, the heat was sweltering.

Ness adjusted his backpack and took a deep breath. He'd come a long, long way since Giant Step, and the complete melody was within his grasp.

"Number eight, here we come!"

Despite the unbearable temperature, he had to admit the inside of the cave was a sight to behold. Lava trickled in tiny streams down the walls, pooling into tiny crevices that glowed with red light. The Sound Stone was flashing brighter than ever, adding a golden radiance to the red all around.

"There you are."

They weren't alone in the fiery cavern. Ninten sat cross-legged atop a lumpy boulder near the far corner, holding his bat. Ana was by his side, standing against the wall. A few yards to their right, from a dark tunnel that the Sound Stone continued to flash towards, Lloyd emerged with his hands in his pockets. Three pairs of red eyes traced over the group as they came to a stop on the other end of the rectangle-shaped chamber. The floor was mostly even, and it occurred to Ness that the Commanders must have set the cave up for the impending fight before their arrival.

"Congrats on making it here!" Ninten said, grinning as he hopped off the rock to his feet. "We knew you kids had the potential."

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," added Ana. "Questions about us, about Master G- about _Giygas_ … but that can wait. Your last Sanctuary is just ahead. All you have to do is beat us."

"We have the numbers advantage, but we've never fought more than one of them at a time," Jeff muttered. "As a team, they're not going down as easily."

Ness tightened his grip on his bat.

"We're a team too. We can do this."

"You kids ready? Let's have at it! Show us you're strong enough to save the world!" Ninten shouted, his psychic sense flaring up.

Ness followed suit, feeling his own PSI energy course through him. He charged, friends at his side, as the battle against Giygas' Commanders began.


	60. Take a Melody

Chapter 60: Take a Melody

Ninten ran ahead of his allies as the battle began. Ness met him head on, bringing up his bat to stop the incoming swing. The impact sent a hard shock up his arms and made him cringe, but he didn't lose his footing. He uncurled two fingers from around the handle of his bat and cast a weak PK Rockin' at point-blank range, directly into Ninten's chest. Ness intentionally kept the attack at a low enough level to do little more than throw his enemy backwards; he didn't want to seriously harm the Commanders.

The restraint wasn't reciprocated due to Giygas' influence, however, and immediately after warding off Ninten he was under attack from two sides. A PK Beam and laser whizzed just past his face, the latter scraping against his cheek. He hissed, rubbing at the burn it left in its wake. A cacophony of bangs and psychic blasts filled the air as his friends joined the battle.

Ana sent a stream of flames far to the right, then another to the left. Both attacks missed the group, though Ness didn't realize what the intent was until Lloyd threw something into their midst. Having grouped together to avoid the fire on either side, they had made themselves ideal targets. The bomb exploded at their feet, and Ness was flung a good several yards forward, landing on his stomach.

He didn't even have time to question how a bomb exploding right under him wasn't fatal (not that he would have, by that point in the adventure), when he had to immediately jump to his feet. A PK Beam struck the ground where his face had been not even a second earlier. Raising his bat, he charged again.

Somehow, in the buildup to the fight, he'd expected coordination. He and his friends, the new generation of heroes, were taking on their predecessors in an effort to save them. For the first time, they were battling a team comparable to their own, and Ness figured the result would be a carefully fought skirmish where they put their respective tactics to the test. But although the Commanders displayed a fair amount of strategy in the beginning, it soon devolved into a much less organized brawl.

Lasers and PSI blasts fired in all directions, at every step Ness had to be careful not to collide with anyone, and the sheer number of combatants in close quarters made it feel more like a cartoon fight behind a dust cloud. He found himself dodging a burst of fire from Lloyd's gun, trying to cast Hypnosis or Paralysis- ANYTHING that could put him down without harming him. Concentrating enough even for such simple techniques proved nigh-impossible in the midst of the battle, as he felt someone collide with him from behind and was knocked back to the ground.

"Oof! Sorry, Ness!"

Paula shouted the hasty apology, apparently having managed to stay on her feet despite the impact. Before he could reply, he heard her yelp and cast PK Freeze. Somewhere behind him, there was another explosion, and she disappeared back into the fray.

Then, strangely, his body slackened. Although the battle raged around him, he couldn't shake the unexplainable sense of relaxation which had taken hold. He just sat there, staring straight ahead, and forgot his worries. A stray laser flew past him (whether from Jeff or Lloyd, he couldn't tell), missing by barely an inch, and even then he felt no reaction. Tranquility engulfed him like warm water, washing away his troubles, his will to fight…

His free will…

Suddenly the pleasant sensation vanished. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and his skin felt like it was slowly freezing over despite the immense heat of the arena. The trance hadn't lasted more than three seconds, but to him it had felt like several minutes. In his head, a very soft voice began to whisper his name.

 _"_ _What's… going on…?"_

Ness was on his feet in a second, narrowly dodging a PK Freeze from Ana. He ran to help Poo, who was currently under attack from Ninten. The Commander had used PSI Quicken on himself, becoming an impossibly fast-moving target. He dashed back and forth, taking every chance he could to strike at Poo with his bat and clearly on the verge of overwhelming him while Poo desperately blocked the hits with the blunt edge of his sword.

 ** _"_** ** _Ness…"_**

He blasted PK Rockin' at Ninten as he ran toward them. The attack caught him off guard, slamming him away from Poo and into the cavern wall.

 ** _"_** ** _I'm… happy, Ness…"_**

Ness struggled to ignore the voice. He knew what was happening; Giygas' influence was beginning to overtake him at long last.

Ninten, dazed, reached to pick up his bat and go back on the defensive. But Ness didn't give him the chance. A quick use of PSI Paralysis kept the Commander still long enough to deliver a decisive blow to the side of his head. Ninten's eyes went unfocused and he collapsed, out cold.

 ** _"_** ** _Are you… happy…?"_**

Ness turned to see how Paula and Jeff were doing. They were in the middle of a pitched battle with Lloyd and Ana, exchanging bottle rockets and psychic attacks in a deadly crossfire.

"You should get moving."

Poo stood up, wincing from the numerous strikes Ninten had scored on him but clearly trying to tough it out.

"Get to the Sanctuary, and claim it. We can handle this."

 ** _"_** ** _Leave them… leave yourself… come, come to me…"_**

Ness paused.

"I don't want to leave you guys here…"

"Now isn't the time for chivalry, Ness!" Poo barked. "I can sense the evil presence spreading within you! I promise, we'll be fine. Go!"

It went against every fiber of his being to abandon the battle, but he knew Poo was right. With time as limited as it was, he _had_ to reach Fire Spring before it was too late. Sparing his friends one more look, he broke into a run through the deeper tunnel, passing the downed Ninten on the way.

 _"_ _They've believed in me this whole time. And… and I believe in them. They can do this."_

 ** _"_** ** _Take a melody… AAARGH!"_**

The voice was growing more agitated. He picked up the pace, already drawing the Sound Stone from his pocket. It positively burst with light.

Fire Spring was a rocky mound about as tall as him, from the top of which a steady stream of magma flowed. It pooled at the structure's base, then snaked along cracks in the terrain. Ness felt his body refresh to perfect health- the last time this would happen, he realized. He held the Sound Stone up toward his eighth Sanctuary, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

 _"_ _Here I go…"_

Energy flowed into the stone, but there was no melody this time, making him fear that something had gone wrong. He opened his eyes and reflexively flinched at the totally unfamiliar sight before him.

Fire Spring, and the cave as a whole, had disappeared. The landscape was a grayscale void save for the narrow dirt path below his feet, surrounded on all sides by vast swathes of nothing.

He realized all of his equipment- his backpack, his bat, and even the Sound Stone- was gone. Ness swallowed, unsure of what to make of it- or anything, really.

 _"_ _I guess the only way to go is forward. Wherever it takes me…"_

Following the trail, he noticed a dark shape forming in the distance. He began to run toward it, his footsteps making no noise whatsoever against the dirt path. Features of the mysterious object he was approaching became clear; features he recognized. A blue, gently sloping roof. A high window, with a good view of the road to town from inside. A clean gutter, from which many baseballs had to be retrieved after being hit too high.

His house. What was it doing there, in that gray abyss?

 _"_ _Is this where I'll get my wisdom?"_

The door was unlocked, allowing him to enter. His mouth watered when the scent of freshly-cooked steak hit him.

"That hit the spot," a man's voice said. "Are you sure he can't have some yet?"

Ness blinked, taking a step back. There were people in the kitchen.

"Not until his teeth won't fall out from a light tug," replied a woman, hints of a laugh in her tone. "No hard foods before then."

His wariness evaporated when he recognized their voices. These were no intruders, they were his parents. He didn't move from the doorway, unsure of what he would find in the kitchen. They hadn't appeared to have noticed his entry.

He heard his dad chuckle.

"One year old already… where'd the time go? It still feels like yesterday we were sophomores, on our first date."

"You've been saying that all day," his mom said.

"It's true! I'm telling you, we're going to blink and then he'll be off to college himself."

The giggle of a baby boy rang from the kitchen. His breath caught in his throat.

"You like the sound of that, Ness?" his dad laughed.

"Let's get some cake for our little scholar," quipped his mom. "Remember, _small_ bites."

"Huh…?"

"What is it?"

His dad sounded puzzled.

"He just pointed at the baseball cap, over there… I could've sworn it twitched for a second."

"Hm…"

The conversation faded. Ness found the will to move his legs at last, and hesitantly walked into the kitchen. He wasn't sure if he was surprised or not to find the room empty.

A red and blue baseball cap sat on the counter beside the fridge, the same he wore on his head. For some reason, it was exerting a tug on his mind, just like Paula and the mysterious cave from the Lost Underworld had. Ness went to pick it up, but the moment his fingers brushed it the world disappeared around him.

At the last second, as his surroundings swirled into darkness, a screech of malicious laughter ripped through the air.

* * *

Paula stood there, a PK Freeze half-charged in her hands, staring at Ana and Lloyd. A second earlier, they'd abruptly stopped fighting to grasp at their foreheads, even stumbling a bit from the disorientation. She wasn't sure what was going on, but they were making no further efforts to attack.

Behind her, Ninten was in a similar state, albeit on his knees. Poo was keeping a close watch on him, but gave her a nod to show things were under control. Ness was nowhere to be found.

Jeff had his laser gun held tight, staying close to her.

"What's happening…?"

The Commanders ceased struggling a few seconds later, going very still where they stood. In unison, they removed their hands from their heads.

Ana met her gaze. Blue eyes.

Behind his glasses, Lloyd's honey eyes blinked in a bit of a daze.

Paula looked to where Ninten was staggering to his feet. He, too, had lost the red glow of his eyes. They were a rich brown in color.

All six of them exchanged silent glances as the tension in the room died down. The battle was over, but beyond that…

"We're… we're free."

Ana looked at her hands, an unmistakable smile creeping onto her lips.

"Heh. I guess we are."

Ninten was standing again. Poo backed off, lowering his sword.

"Great job," he said, beaming. "We knew you kids had it in you."

Paula allowed herself to smile too while the former Commanders reunited, embracing each other and laughing helplessly. Ninten even gave Ana a kiss, to which both of them blushed a little.

"We've got a lot to catch up on," said Lloyd, mainly to Jeff but nodding at her and Poo as well. "Where's Ness?"

"I told him to go on ahead when the chance presented itself," Poo replied, "so he should have claimed the Sanctuary by now."

Jeff looked toward the tunnel at the back.

"Maybe that's what caused Giygas to lose control of you all? We hadn't really won, I think."

Ninten cast PSI Lifeup onto an unsightly bruise on his head.

"Ness beat _me,_ all right. I'll be feeling that tomorrow…"

She was still elated they were free, but Paula couldn't shake the feeling that the abrupt end to the fight hadn't come by chance alone.

"Why isn't he back yet? There isn't another guardian, is there?" she asked.

The ex-Commanders looked at each other, frowning.

"There shouldn't be," said Ninten, "we were the last line of defense. We'd better go see if he's okay."

He didn't need to tell her twice. Paula ran ahead of them, trying to ignore the knot forming in her stomach.

 _"_ _I'm sure it's nothing. There's no guardian, and he's not in danger."_

She wasn't wrong, but she couldn't say she was right either when she found Ness. He was on his knees in front of a rocky structure that must have been Fire Spring, head bowed. The Sound Stone was on the ground in front of him, emitting a brilliant golden light.

"Ness! Are you okay?"

He didn't answer, or even acknowledge her presence. The others caught up behind her, all looking at him with similar concern.

"It's as if he's having some sort of reaction to the Sanctuary," Jeff said. "Or maybe this is part of reaching all eight?"

Poo scratched his head.

"This was how he was meant to achieve wisdom, no? Perhaps he's undergoing some mental trial. If that's the case, I'm not sure if we can do anything for him."

Paula sat next to him, legs crossed. She looked at his unresponsive face and sighed.

"Whatever you're doing, Ness… I hope you're okay in there."

All they could do was wait for him to come back to them.


	61. Wisdom

Chapter 61: Wisdom

Ness wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there before he became truly aware of his surroundings. His house and the gray void were gone, and he was standing in the middle of… of…

He wasn't sure.

The grass below his feet felt spongy and artificial. Numerous plastic-looking trees, shrubs, and even human-sized vegetables dotted the terrain. There was nothing but an endless purple ocean behind him, and a starry night sky hanging overhead. A gentle breeze drifted past, bringing with it the faint smell of cooked steak.

Possibility one: he had gone crazy after reaching Fire Spring. Possibility two: he was dead, and the afterlife was full of giant plastic trees and vegetables. He couldn't decide which sounded less appealing.

Something was coming toward him from behind one of the trees. Something resembling a beetle.

"Buzz Buzz?"

"Ness. I'm so glad to see you again."

He smiled, greeting the first friend he'd made on the adventure. Of course, the implication hit him shortly after.

"Hold on, if you're here… am I dead?"

"Not at all. I told you, I would always be with you in spirit. This is just a more convenient way of meeting you one last time. Welcome to Magicant, a realm born within your mind. It's here that you'll gain your wisdom."

"Okay," he said, relieved that he wasn't dead but no less confused, "so what am I supposed to do here? What am I looking for?"

"This is _your_ mind, Ness. That's for _you_ to find out. I did what I could to help you already."

Buzz Buzz perched on his shoulder.

"Regardless, I'll accompany you as far as I can. Let's go."

Ness started walking, taking in the strange sights. He couldn't go twenty paces without coming across an enlarged toy he used to own, an old article of clothing, or some other miscellaneous item buried somewhere in his memory.

"What did you mean by one last time?" he dared to ask.

"Magicant exists only in your head. When you leave, this place will disappear, and I'll be gone for good. You'll have no further need for the Sound Stone."

"You mean you can't even go back home? To the good future we'll make by beating Giygas? Or, uh, would that be a paradox?"

Buzz Buzz sighed.

"No, because I didn't travel back through time directly. It was more like I moved diagonally, from one timeline to a different one, as well as back ten years."

Ness scratched his head.

"I think I get it. Maybe."

"The point is, I fled that future knowing I wouldn't be able to change it. Those of us who resisted Giygas just wanted to give another timeline- _any_ timeline- the warning that we didn't have. I expect the world I came from has been completely destroyed…"

They had passed the plastic vegetation and were now in a village made of building block houses. Strangely, not all of them sported wood-carved letters or images like the ones Ness played with as a baby. Their faces instead displayed grainy, black and white images of various memories from his childhood. While the moments themselves were unremarkable- nothing symbolically relevant- they began to display a pattern. As they progressed into later years, approaching present day, a dark shroud began to grow at the fringes of each memory. Ness' heart began to race as they got darker and darker, almost becoming completely engulfed.

"That must be Giygas' influence… has it really been in me my whole life?"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that," said Buzz Buzz. "I've never even met Giygas myself; I can't say for sure what he's capable of."

Ness kept walking, coming to a river bank beyond the strange village. A wooden bridge stretched over the purple water, leading to another island. He could make out a familiar arcade.

"Buzz Buzz? I've been wondering for a while now… am I- are _we_ really the people you heard about in the future?"

He fidgeted his wings and peered out at the vast sea surrounding the islands.

"Truthfully, Ness, I don't know. I don't know if the Apple of Enlightenment spoke of you or of Ninten. I don't know if your friends were the ones its prophecy described. As far back as when we first met, I myself said I wasn't entirely sure who the Apple had directed me to find. But that doesn't really matter, does it?"

As they made their way across, the water and sky changed colors. The horizon was now more reminiscent of a sunset, though there was no sun to be seen.

"I fled through time and space to find a hero who could defeat Giygas," Buzz Buzz continued, "and I found one. The choices you've made in your world matter more than the prophecy from a different one, I'd say. But why are you asking me this, when you've heard a similar answer during your adventure already?"

They had reached the halfway point of the bridge. Ness recognized more of the scenery on the other side; the area looked like someone had planted Onett in the middle of the ocean.

"I guess I was just curious," he said. "For a while, it was all I could think of after I heard there were other heroes before us. Since I thought you were the only person who'd know for sure, I figured I might as well ask."

"You don't seem too disappointed in my uncertainty," he remarked.

Ness found himself grinning.

"No, I'm not. I can't tell why, but think I've almost gotten my wisdom. At any rate, I'm definitely _feeling_ wiser."

Buzz Buzz chuckled.

"I knew from the start I'd found the right person. The future of devastation won't become your reality so long as you keep your wisdom, courage, and friendship close to heart. Good luck, Ness. I have done everything I can… for just a little bug."

He stepped onto the next island, then noticed Buzz Buzz wasn't on his shoulder. Ness raised an eyebrow and glanced skyward, thinking he'd flown off. No sign of him there either. It wasn't until he looked a short ways ahead, next to the imitation arcade, that he got his answer. A gravestone sat unassumingly before him. As Ness stared at it, silently paying his respects, words began to inscribe on its surface.

"Here lies Buzz Buzz, last hope from the future. He gave his life so this world could have the chance his didn't."

He stepped away from the stone and kept walking. There was work to be done- or, rather, he had to figure out what work he was trying to _do_ in Magicant.

The mock-Onett, to his surprise, wasn't as complete as he'd thought. After the arcade, the rest of the town seemed to vanish until he was brought before a familiar house. Not his own, but his neighbor's. The door flew open, and out stepped Pokey in a pair of blue overalls- hastily put on, by the looks of it.

"Ness! Did you hear that giant explosion?"

He blinked. There hadn't been any explosion.

"A meteorite crashed at the top of the hill, and I'm gonna be the first to see it! If you hurry, you might get to be the second!"

Ness hadn't so much as said a word before Pokey shoved past him. He had no idea where he planned to go; Magicant didn't seem to include the hill they lived at the base of. However, Pokey hadn't gotten far when he stopped and turned to look at him.

"What're you waiting for? You've always been into adventurous stuff like this. I figured you'd be up there checking it out by the time I even got outside. Remember when we dug up that shoebox? You were so excited, you thought it was a time capsule or buried treasure!"

The pair had been playing in the woods behind their houses a few years earlier, searching for something interesting to discover. He remembered that day _very_ well.

"I've always been sorta jealous of you," he said, lightly kicking the dirt. "You're way cooler than I am. I wish I could be like you…"

Pokey turned to keep walking, then vanished into thin air.

Ness _had_ been excited, and the exploration had been fun. But that wasn't what made him remember the day so well. It was his disappointment when, upon racing back home with the shoebox and removing the suspiciously fresh tape keeping it shut, he discovered it held nothing more than a banana peel and a few apple cores. But above all, he remembered Pokey snorting with laughter and calling him a sucker for falling for it.

Thinking back, Ness realized that was when they'd stopped spending so much time together.

 _"_ _He never really was my friend. No matter how much we hung around each other._ "

Pokey's house melted away until only the door remained, open to a familiar black void. Without anywhere else to go, Ness stepped through and shut it behind him.

A crushing headache afflicted him, then the next place he found himself in was one he'd never seen.

He was in a dim room wherein the walls, ceiling, and floor were all composed of metal panels. Despite the poor lighting his vision was perfectly clear. In fact, it was about the only sensation he still had. All feeling in his body was gone, and any movements he made weren't of his own accord. What had happened to him?

A panel slid open, and a pair of adults much taller than him stumbled into the cramped chamber as if pushed before it slammed shut. Upon seeing Ness, they pressed themselves into a corner with confusion and fright battling for dominance on their faces.

An object raised in front of his view, making the two recoil further. It was a very skinny gray arm ending in three spindly fingers. Ness suddenly understood more of his situation: he was looking through the eyes of… something. Something clearly not human. His arm lowered at their reaction.

One of the adults, a man with brown hair in a dark gray suit, moved himself between Ness and his companion, a fair blonde in a red dress. None of them so much as twitched for a few minutes of horribly tense silence. Ness didn't blame them; he was just waiting for whatever he was seeing through the eyes of to jump and attack them. But it didn't.

The woman broke the silence by making a garbled noise that Ness couldn't understand whatsoever. Her husband- their hands sported distinct rings- replied in a similarly unintelligible manner, but his voice was hushed and brief. The wife eventually shuffled out from behind him, perhaps believing that Ness wouldn't attack. She even hesitantly approached, ignoring the frantic protests from her husband. Ness flinched and drew back from her, retreating to his own corner of the room.

Seeing his fright, the wife stopped. She offered him a smile, and said something else in a quiet voice. Her tone was soft and comforting even though he still couldn't make out a word she was saying. His trembling stopped, and he looked into her eyes. His arm raised again, making an odd scratching gesture with its fingers. The wife approached him again, then bent down and gingerly picked him up. Behind her, the husband seemed marginally less panicked, though still hardly at ease.

 _"_ _What IS this…?"_

The vision must have had significance, he was certain. But it was by far the most surreal experience his adventure had presented him with yet, and he had no idea what to make of it. He still had no control over the inhuman creature's movements; he could only see and hear what it saw and heard.

His vision blurred, revealing a scene that he assumed was sometime later. He was on the floor again, but the cramped metal cell had disappeared in favor of a room with soft blue carpeting, a small bed tucked in the corner, and assorted toys scattered throughout. A stuffed bunny floated before his eyes, held by no discernible source. His gray, slender hand raised and made a flicking motion, and the plush twirled in midair.

 _"_ _Is this thing moving it with its mind?"_

He'd barely processed the thought before he was scooped up from behind. The married couple were there again, both looking much calmer than they had earlier. In fact, as the wife cradled him in her arms he realized they actually seemed happy, even the husband.

The wife began to sing a short tune. It had a beautiful sound which made Ness- and apparently the creature- feel much more relaxed, even though her voice was still an incomprehensible mess to his ears. Something about it reminded him of the melodies he'd been collecting on his adventure, and it occurred to him that he hadn't heard the final piece of it.

His vision transitioned a third time, and suddenly he was racing down a metal corridor with alarms blaring all around him. The wife still had Ness in her arm, her other hand grasping her husband's as he led her onwards. He could tell how terrified the creature was.

The wife stumbled mid-step and fell. Her husband turned to help her up, but his face went ghost white when he saw something behind them. A metal wall slammed shut between the pair, leaving Ness and the wife trapped. She hurriedly got to her feet, then turned to face the uninvited guests.

Two Starmen had entered the corridor, and between them was a creature that, although Ness hadn't ever seen it before, looked vaguely familiar. It towered even above the robots, almost skeletally thin, with a gray complexion and narrow, red eyes.

The alien raised an arm and pointed its three fingers at them, then everything went dark.

* * *

"George was able to escape after two years," Ninten said, "and made it back here to Earth. Maria, however, was never seen again."

Paula remained at Ness' side, and the others had sat down with them while they waited for him to wake up. Without much else to do, Ninten had decided to fill her, Jeff, and Poo in on the details of his adventure ten years earlier. At his own admission, it was something of a scattered and unfocused journey, so he stuck mainly to telling them what he knew about Giygas.

"You said George had found information that could threaten the aliens?" Jeff asked.

"That's right, but to this day I'm not a hundred percent sure what it was. The journal he left behind detailed almost everything I know about PSI, including that it was the source of the aliens' power. Even then, I never understood everything in that book very well. I was made to bring it with me when I was taken over, and I gave it to some of the Mooks. "No idea where it is now.

Ninten glanced at Ness before continuing.

"Either way, Giygas came to Earth himself eighty years later, all grown up. His race had tasked him with conquering our planet before we could become a danger, I guess because he knew humans better than the rest of them. What they didn't realize was that George and Maria were parents even before they were forced to raise Giygas. Their son eventually had his own family, and so on, until their great-grandson was born."

He cracked a grin.

"That's where I come in."

* * *

Ness' vision seemed to fast-forward, images blurring past too quickly to take in. He still wasn't sure what Magicant was trying to show him, but he didn't even have time to process the things he'd already seen before something else presented itself.

He was surrounded by a cloudy night sky, hovering several yards above a rocky precipice. Judging by how far below him the terrain dropped, he figured it was the peak of a mountain. The husband and wife, or even any Starmen, were nowhere to be seen, but he was far from alone.

Three kids about his age stood at the edge of the peak, staring up at him. The apparent leader was a boy with short, dark hair under a red baseball cap and a matching bandana tied around his neck. His expression was firm, but Ness could see the uneasiness in his eyes. At his side, a girl with blonde pigtails and a pink sunhat looked more openly nervous. They were holding hands as they stood defiantly against him. The final member of the trio was another boy, this one with dusty white hair and round glasses. He looked the least composed of them all, but stayed close to his friends regardless.

There was no mistaking them; they were the Commanders, facing down their final opponent ten years earlier. And that meant Ness was looking through the eyes of…

His slim, gray arm raised again. It looked much longer now, with added muscle mass showing the passage of time between then and the previous memory. Purple energy sparked at his fingertips, and the kids grasped at their foreheads, cringing in unison.

Ana thrust her hand out, sending a fireball hurtling toward Giygas. Another subtle hand movement caused it to explode mid-flight, and he retaliated by raining a storm of purple bolts on the group. The attack, which Ness recognized as his own PK Rockin', forced them to scatter on the mountaintop.

The battle continued in a similar fashion for some time, and it became painfully clear that his predecessors didn't stand a chance. Ana and Lloyd attacked with all the PSI, bombs, rockets, and lasers they could spare, but none of it did any good. Ninten remained by their side but could do nothing more than heal them from his increasingly vicious psychic outbursts. Even he steadily began to get worn down, while Giygas hardly seemed to be breaking a sweat. He blasted them to the ground and inflicted repeated mental assaults with ease, even chuckling darkly at their torment.

Ninten dragged himself to his knees, battered but defiant. He shouted something to his friends in the same unintelligible language as the husband and wife. They paused, looked at one another uncertainly, and then nodded to him. Giygas curled a finger inwards, and Lloyd was flung forwards, nearly over the cliff. As Ana scrambled to help him back up, Ninten closed his eyes and began to sing.

(Take a melody… simple as can be…)

The closest thing Ness could describe his vision as was a wave of red static. Ninten's voice was the only sound over the torturous screeching, and he recognized the tune as the same one the wife sang. Though his words remained incomprehensible, somehow he could tell what he was saying.

(Give it some words and sweet harmony…)

Giygas roared, unleashing another telekinetic blast. Ninten cringed and stopped singing, but Ana threw herself in front of him and took the hit. She crumpled to the ground, giving him long enough to continue.

(Raise your voices all day long now…)

His head spun with memories of the wife. Her smile, her gentle embrace, and the lovely song forced themselves into his thoughts no matter how hard Ness- or Giygas- tried to ignore them. That singing! He HAD to stop that singing!

Lloyd came to Ninten's defense as well, receiving a psychic bolt to the stomach. He, like Ana before him, collapsed. The two twitched and groaned, struggling to stand again.

Ninten was now alone, trembling at the sight of his downed friends. But while his eyes shook with fear, he continued to sing.

(Love grows strong now…)

The ground beneath his feet exploded, and he was flung onto his back. Giygas and Ness were seeing red as the gray hand raised to finish him off. Another bolt crashed against Ninten, eliciting a scream.

(Sing a melody…)

Lloyd was on his knees, clutching his injury. Through gritted teeth he picked up where Ninten had left off, and Giygas roared again. He was punished with a direct mental assault which left him quivering on the ground.

(Of…)

Ana's voice rang from where she lay. Tears ran down her cheeks as she tried to keep going, but she didn't have more than a second before she too was hit by an unseen barrage.

Giygas was desperate, throwing out more psychic assaults in a furious attempt to stop them from completing the melody. He _had_ to put an end to it before any more memories, any more regrets of having to invade his beloved mother's homeworld, were dragged to the surface. But it was too late.

(Love!)

Ninten, though critically injured, managed to croak out the final lyric. The red faded from Ness' vision, and Giygas' psychic resonance died down all at once. His will to fight was so thoroughly snuffed out that he couldn't muster the effort to finish off the three before him, who seemed too battered to even stand. His adoptive mother was all he could think of.

As Giygas reflected, Ninten cast Lifeup onto his party. They pulled themselves upright, staring warily at him from below. It wasn't for another minute until the silence was broken.

 **"** **Maria… Mother… I'm so sorry…"**

He snarled. Electricity sparked around his body, but no attack followed.

 **"** **Ninten! This is NOT over! Someday, I will return, and you will have no song to save you then! Do you understand me?! We WILL meet again!"**

Ness felt his power surge, and the three kids rubbed their heads one last time. They didn't seem to notice anything wrong, but he had a hunch that was when the influence to take control of them ten years later was planted.

The mountaintop disappeared beneath him as the deafening roar of rocket boosters emitted from below. Giygas had retreated into a spaceship, and soon enough Ness found himself staring at Earth from upper orbit.

He reached out with his senses again, searching for one more person. It had to be someone who could prove instrumental to the success of his next invasion; preferably a young Earthling to one day take command of. Corrupting this individual at such an early age would be much easier, he figured. The vision faded to black as Giygas detected an ideal servant.

When he let his power pulse toward Earth to sow the seed, he realized that he'd actually found two candidates.

* * *

"Do you get it now?"

Ness blinked. His vision had returned to normal, but there was nothing to see in Magicant save for a black void, the same in which he found himself on many prior occasions. He wasn't alone this time; the golden Mani Mani statue stared him down from a few yards away. And standing just before it was, for lack of a better word, _him._

"Giygas can't be stopped," the lookalike said, arms crossed. "You saw the same vision I did, right? Ninten and his friends couldn't even _scratch_ him, and they nearly got killed. That song they sang won't work anymore, now that he's gone off the deep end."

A low whisper permeated the endless black expanse, but Ness wasn't focusing on it. He was preoccupied with a realization.

"You're not just part of Magicant," he said. "You're not another vision. You've been around for much longer than this. Ever since Fourside, you've been telling me to give up. You're my evil side."

Darkness grinned condescendingly.

"It's nice to meet you at last. Now that we're done with introductions, I'm not gonna waste any time. This is the part where I take you over. Ready for a fight, sucker?!"

Ness crossed his arms, mirroring him.

"No. We're not fighting, and you're not taking me over."

"Do you think you can resist? I've got the backing of Giygas' corruption in our head."

"No you don't."

Darkness scowled.

"Are you sure about that? Why do you think you can beat him? You JUST saw what happened when the others drove him back, and even they couldn't put him down for good! Do you have some special trick?!"

"No. To tell you the truth, I don't know what we're going to do when we have to face Giygas ourselves. Sure, the four of us are really strong together, but I have no idea if that'll be enough."

"Then you DO understand! You know we're probably going to die if we stand against him in person!"

 ** _"_** ** _Submit…"_**

Ness' vision tinged red, and he saw that his other self's eyes had become the same color in response to the Mani Mani's whisper.

"It's too late, anyway," Darkness hissed. "We're losing control to his influence now. If you'd just let me take over, this would've been easier…"

"Stop."

The red faded from both their eyes. A snarl resonated from the statue.

"Huh? How'd you-"

"You're just going to mope and give up?" Ness asked. "That's it? I know what you _really_ are. You aren't Darkness, you're… just me. What did you call yourself? 'All my fears and insecurities.' And that's literally it! I don't have any 'evil side' at all."

Suddenly, the Mani Mani's low whisper decreased in volume. Another quiet voice began to speak, fighting it for dominance. No words were clear enough to understand, but somehow it sounded comforting to Ness. Everything made sense at once for him.

"That's what this whole journey to fill the Sound Stone was for, wasn't it? It's not some weapon to use against Giygas, it's meant to prepare _me_ to face him by having me confront my own fear, and his corruption in my head."

Amidst the growing whisper, a single word could be made out.

 _"_ _Wisdom."_

The other Ness was silent, but his body had begun to tremble.

"You're scared of him, and I'm worried about the battle too. But don't you realize that just giving up isn't going to solve anything? We have to at least _try_ to stop him. The whole world's at stake here."

 ** _"_** ** _SUBMIT!"_**

The Mani Mani roared, kicking up a massive tremor that caused both of their knees to buckle. But Ness didn't fall, and neither did his other self.

"Why do you keep saying 'we?' You're the brave one. I don't even really exist; I'm just part of your imagination."

"I know you are," he said. "But that doesn't mean you don't exist. Being a hero hasn't always been easy, or even fun. You're the part of me that understands it. We've been on the same side this whole time, even though you've tried to stop me."

The other Ness looked at his own hands.

"I've been holding you back. I've been holding _us_ back. And, I guess… if you can be brave, then I can too. We _are_ the same person, like you said."

 _"_ _Courage."_

He smiled. The Mani Mani, the personification of Giygas' corrupting influence, was howling.

"Then let's get this thing out of our head."

"Together!"

 _"_ _Friendship."_

Side by side, they each aimed a hand at the statue and concentrated. As his other self finally stopped holding back, Ness heard the benevolent whisper again.

 _"_ _PSI Teleport: Alpha. PSI Teleport: Beta."_

His smile only widened as he realized the mental block Talah Rama had described was gone. The voice uttered a final technique, one that he'd been waiting to reach for a long time.

 ** _"_** ** _I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL! NESS!"_**

Despite the Mani Mani's rage, he was undeterred. It occurred to him that the other Ness was no longer by his side, and that he was now holding both hands up.

"PK Rockin': Omega!"

The storm of multicolored bolts that followed put even Poo's PK Starstorm to shame. They swirled like a twister around the screaming statue before shooting inwards and exploding. Nothing remained of it when the attack died down.

Not unlike Moonside before it, the dark void of Magicant began to crack around Ness. Color shone through, and the whisper spoke up one last time.

 _"_ _You've reached the final stretch of your journey. Giygas, though his army has been routed, remains a threat to the universe. The time has come for you to confront him, now that your mind and soul are free. Good luck, hero of the Earth."_

There was a sudden warmth in his palm, and he realized he was holding the Sound Stone. Its golden radiance had subsided, replaced by a dazzling ocean-blue. Ness grinned as the complete melody began to play, eight parts coming together at long last. It was simple, and powerful, and pure.

When it was over, the item appeared to dissolve into the air. An overwhelming sensation took hold in his mind, but unlike the influence of Giygas there was nothing malevolent about it. Quite the contrary; he felt on top of the world. Magicant continued to splinter around him, and his head spun as he exited his own mind, returning to reality and to the last stage of his adventure.

He was ready.

 **End of Part Seven**

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **Commanders of Giygas' Army: Ninten, Lloyd, Ana**

"The final Sanctuary- the final piece of the melody- is at hand! Defeat the preceding heroes and free them from their enslavement once and for all!"

 **The Inner Self: Darkness**

"Ness comes face to face with himself in the depths of Magicant. As Giygas' influence sets in, he'll have to act quickly to save them both."

* * *

Thank you all for your patience. With how much has been building to Ness' arrival in Magicant, I hope I was able to meet your expectations.

Next time, the final part of the story begins.


	62. To the End

**Part Eight: Love**

Chapter 62: To the End

The overwhelming heat of Fire Spring let Ness know he'd come back to reality. He was kneeling before it, and the Sound Stone was gone.

 _"_ _I guess it disappeared out here, too."_

Several people were talking behind him. When he turned to face them, he was met with six startled yelps.

"Hey!" Paula, who was closest to him, gasped. "Are you okay?"

Jeff and Poo were looking at him as well, seated not far away. With them were Ninten, Lloyd, and Ana.

"Uh… hi. I guess the fighting's over?"

"It didn't go on for that long after you left," said Jeff. "Giygas released his hold over them, and we followed you here. They've been informing us about what they did ten years ago in the meantime. What were you doing?"

Ness put a hand to his forehead. It didn't hurt, but the surge of power he'd gained made him feel a little lightheaded.

"I went through this place called Magicant that was made of my inner thoughts. It was… weird."

"We did that too!" Ninen said, sitting upright. "We had to visit a land born from my great-grandmother's memories during our adventure."

Paula cut in.

"Oh yeah, you missed a lot! His great-grandparents _raised_ Giygas!"

"I know about that. Well, sort of. I know what happened with them, and I saw the fight on the mountain through his eyes."

He was met with another six astonished stares.

"Okay, let me explain…"

So he did. He told them about meeting Buzz Buzz, and seeing the corruption spread through Magicant. He told them about the flashbacks given to him by Giygas, and the confrontation with his own fears. Finally he described his overcoming of the evil influence itself, hearing the completed melody, and the power surge that came afterwards.

"There," he said. "What've _I_ missed?"

Ninten scratched his head.

"We didn't tell your friends about much more than our encounter with Giygas, so I'd say you're all up to speed on the important details."

Poo cleared his throat.

"If you're free of his control now, are we ready to face him?"

"I think so," answered Jeff. "Let's get back to Saturn Valley. My dad said he'd help us get where we need to be."

Ness stood up, and the rest followed.

"I can use Teleport now. Mind if I give it a shot, Poo?"

"The ability is useful in a cramped space like this, but it cannot carry more than four people in total," he said, gesturing toward their predecessors. "Take Paula and Jeff with you; I'll bring them there. Do you know how to use it?"

"I think I've got it down. Just imagine the spot, and spin around really fast?"

Poo had the faintest hint of a grin.

"Essentially. Since you've been there before, you'll have a more accurate arrival than I will."

They separated into the appointed groups. Paula and Jeff joined him, looking just as curious as he was to try out his newfound power. As the others disappeared, Ness pictured his destination as hard as he could. There was even a nice, clear patch of grass in the middle of Saturn Valley which would make a perfect landing zone.

"Here goes! PSI Teleport: Beta!"

He spun around, energy building up until the same blue light which emanated from Poo during his teleportation appeared. A brief weightlessness set in, and-

Ness was on the ground. His nose ached fiercely, and something heavy was pinning him down. Two somethings, in actuality; Paula and Jeff had collapsed with him.

"Aha, our mighty heroes have arrived."

The sweltering temperature of Fire Spring's cave had disappeared, but there was still a shadow over his face. He opened his teary eyes to see Teddy standing above him.

"Nice entrance. Need a hand?"

Rubbing his nose, he accepted the help in standing back up. Paula and Jeff looked similarly dazed.

"What happened?"

Teddy grinned and rapped his knuckles against the enormous ball a foot away from them.

"You guys appeared outta nowhere and crashed right into this."

Ness finally cleared the stars from his vision to assess his surroundings. Sure enough, he was in the middle of Saturn Valley. He just hadn't expected anything to be in the way upon his arrival, least of all a… metal Mr. Saturn?

It was around the size of the Sky Runner, but rather than the usual features of a UFO it sported a bulbous nose and two beady black eyes painted on the front.

"Talk about a personal touch. What's this thing?"

A hatch in the side hissed and swung open. Out stepped Dr. Andonuts and Apple Kid, both covered in grime.

"Why, hello there!" the former said, cheerful despite his appearance. "I see you met the Phase Distorter 2 face to face."

He grinned. No matter how bad they were, he couldn't stay mad at puns. Based on Jeff's groan behind him, the sentiment wasn't universal.

Apple Kid wiped his face with his filthy sleeve.

"The Mr. Saturns are incredible! They've helped us make this way faster than the prototype. It can even directly track lifeforms, so it'll take you all to Giygas!"

Ness blinked.

"Really…? So we can just go fight him right now?"

"As long as you're ready to," Apple Kid continued. "Oh, _there's_ your other friend!"

Poo his group were descending from the cliffs above by ladder. They'd evidently appeared in the tunnel leading to Milky Well on account of his unfamiliarity with the place. Still, Ness would have preferred the short walk over slamming his nose against the Phase Distorter 2.

"Guys! Hey, guys!"

Teddy charged straight for his old friends when they reached the bottom. Ness smiled as he finally, _finally_ reunited with them, but their chatter didn't last long before they made their way toward him. He understood; there would be plenty of time to catch up once this was all over.

Over. He couldn't believe the end was nearly upon them.

 _"_ _What'll we do afterwards? Go back home, I guess… will we just be normal kids again? Will I still get to see them?"_

His inner monologue was cut short when Dr. Andonuts spoke again. The eight of them formed a half circle around him and Apple Kid to listen in.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect for there to be so many of you. The Phase Distorter 2 can only fit four passengers at most, and it won't be able to make several trips at a time in quick succession for all of you to go."

Ness stepped forward.

"We'll do it ourselves. The four of us. We went through this whole adventure getting strong enough to fight Giygas, so we'll finish it."

"As much as I hate to admit it," said Ana, "I think you're right. There's not much we can do against him ourselves now."

He turned to the Phase Distorter 2. Apple Kid was typing something into a keypad beside it, bouncing on his heels.

"I'm successfully tracking Giygas! He's really far from here, but he's definitely on Earth. When you're ready, you can get in and head straight for him!"

Ness looked at Paula, then Jeff, then Poo. They were as nervous as he was under the surface, he could tell. But none of them seemed ready to back down. He took a deep breath and resigned himself to the hands of fate.

"I think we're as ready as we'll ever be. Let's do it."

The four of them climbed in, and the hatch hissed shut. Inside, the device was quite similar to the Sky Runner, down to a familiar set of controls at the front. Ness still couldn't make heads or tails of them, but Jeff seemed to know what he was doing.

"Can you hear me?" Dr. Andonuts' voice said from a speaker. "Is everything working?"

"Looks like it," Jeff replied.

"Excellent. You know… only a handful of people know of your amazing courage. I am truly honored to count myself among them. All of you have worked so hard to get here, I… oh, I won't delay you any longer. Activate the Phase Distorter 2, and set forth!"

"Good luck!" Ninten shouted.

All those outside, even a few Mr. Saturns, voiced their own encouragements. Jeff pulled one final lever, and the vehicle hummed around them before making a tremendous "whoosh."

Ness expected a long, tense, quiet ride, but they seemed to reach their destination in seconds. There was a bump from outside, followed by a brief chime from the control panel.

"Arrived at target: Giygas."

They looked at one another. Ness shouldered his backpack and steeled his nerves.

"Let's do this."

The hatch opened to reveal an oddly familiar scene. They were on a grassy cliff, surrounded by nothing but the dark interior of a cavern. Not far from them, a pile of scrap metal sat rusting away. Across the treacherous drop, there was another cliff face and a tunnel.

"We're in the Lost Underworld again!" he exclaimed as his friends got out. "See over there? We were standing on that ledge earlier!"

"Meaning we were _really_ close," Paula murmured.

Jeff was kneeling to inspect the lump of scrap, but couldn't seem to identify it. He stood up and walked over to them just as the problem became obvious.

"The tracking system says we're at the right place. So… where is he?"

As far as Ness could tell, the platform led nowhere. Jumping into the abyss below struck him as a bad idea, and he knew that even if they could reach the other cliff again it wouldn't get them where they had to be. And as was apparent, Giygas wasn't anywhere to be seen.

They mulled it over in silence for a few minutes, with nobody having the slightest idea what went wrong. Just as frustration threatened to set in, Ness' backpack squawked out a horrible noise that made them all jump.

"Apple Kid's calling," he said, rummaging through his belongings to find the receiver phone. "Maybe he's got something for us."

When he answered, however, it was Lloyd's voice he heard.

"Hey, Ness. Where did you wind up?"

"We're back in the Lost Underworld. We aren't even that far from Fire Spring."

"Is there any sign of Giygas?"

"No. It's just us here."

Lloyd didn't respond for a few seconds, but when he did there was an unsubtle concern in his tone.

"Return to Saturn Valley. We've figured something out."

Ness hung up and relayed the news to his friends. As they climbed back into the Phase Distorter 2, an all too familiar sense of oppressive dread settled over him.

* * *

Hate.

Hate, hate, hate.

It was all Giygas knew.

It was all Giygas _was._

His forces had been defeated, his second invasion of Earth thwarted.

There was only one left. His last servant, who oversaw the maintenance of the Devil's Machine keeping his obliterated sanity in some form of order. The Devil's Machine, which he'd realized too late was no longer being used to hold him together. It _restrained_ him. And the servant knew it.

Hate.

Ness was coming. The servant told him so. He boasted of how everything had been set to bring about this moment. Giygas didn't understand. Something about a statue which would one day be found and begin the cycle anew.

Hate.

Every moment he existed caused him agony. His power had long since expanded beyond his control, and he suffered for it. Power was really the one thing he had left, though; no logic, no compassion, _nothing_ remained of his mind.

He could do nothing more than hate.

* * *

Ness exited the Phase Distorter 2 into the afternoon sun of Saturn Valley. Dr. Andonuts, Lloyd, and Apple Kid were gathered around a workbench covered in metal gadgets and spare parts. They toiled away with clenched jaws, and all of their shoulders appeared hunched.

"What's wrong?" he asked Teddy, who was closest to where they arrived.

"Some science-y mumbo jumbo I don't understand. All I know is that whatever they found out, they aren't too happy about it."

Dr. Andonuts noticed them approaching and took a step back from whatever he was working on.

"We've made a serious miscalculation," he said. "Giygas _is_ at that location, but there's one problem: he has retreated to the distant past."

Ness stared.

"How…?"

Lloyd put down the tool he was using to join them.

"I can only speculate, but under the Stonehenge base we had a particular Starman with the ability to travel through time. By orders from someone even higher up than us- if you can believe that- we weren't allowed near it, so I don't know for sure what the Mooks did to it. The most logical explanation, however, is that they removed whatever component allowed it to do that and sent it back to Giygas for his own use."

"But what's he doing in the past?" asked Ana. "Did he just want to go somewhere we wouldn't be able to reach him?"

"Probably," Lloyd sighed, "and I don't think we'll be able to just wait for him to catch up to the present."

Dr. Andonuts pointed to the scrap on the table.

"We're building a third Phase Distorter that can bring you through time to chase him, but progress is slow. If only we could have gotten our hands on that Starman…"

Ness' memory flashed far, _far_ back to the very beginning of his adventure.

"Hold on! That was Starman Junior, right? He came from the future, but not alone. He was chasing after Buzz Buzz, who got here in the meteorite that landed near my house! Can we use that for something?"

Dr. Andonuts, Apple Kid, and Lloyd looked at one another, apparently sharing an entire unspoken discussion.

"That might do the trick!" exclaimed Apple Kid. "If you can get us the components, we should be able to send you back in time."

"Onett it is," Ness said. "We'll bring back whatever we can."

They divided into the same teleport groups as before- Ninten and his friends had offered to accompany them- and departed, leaving Saturn Valley for one last detour before the end.


	63. Full Circle

Chapter 63: Full Circle

Had Ness not stumbled out of his teleportation near the southern road to Twoson, which was marked by a "Now leaving Onett" sign, he would have been absolutely certain he'd wound up in the wrong place.

Apart from the eight of them, Onett appeared deserted. Empty streets and sidewalks stretched away before the group, their only occupants the occasional gusts of frigid wind. Though it couldn't have been later than three in the afternoon, a pitch-black sky hung over the town.

"What happened here?" Ness asked, mainly to himself.

Nobody answered.

He began a long, agonizingly quiet walk up the road. On closer inspection, the buildings around them didn't seem abandoned but rather fortified, locked tight and clearly attempting to keep something out. The residents of the town were holed up out of fear of whatever had befallen them. Though they knocked on several doors, there was never a response. Ness' heart threatened to burst from his chest the further north they went, and he was almost glad when something finally broke the silence by attacking them.

Lasers suddenly whizzed past him, fired from a trio of black-armored Starmen which had appeared in the middle of the road. He raised a hand to use his PSI, but they were no longer in sight.

"Everyone okay?" he asked shakily.

"Fine," Poo muttered. "What _were_ those?"

Lloyd, who had dodged the volley by throwing himself into a roll, dusted off his clothes.

"Ghost-class Starmen. The Super-class had a feature where they could be brought back online in new bodies if they were destroyed, and these are the results."

Mechanical whirring rang from all around them, and Ness' heart plummeted when a _horde_ of the robots appeared from behind every corner, or even simply teleported in to face them. They were surrounded by at least two dozen.

"We won't let you reach Master Giygas!" one of them shouted.

"Kids," said Teddy as they all stood back to back, "I think it's time for you all to get going."

Jeff had his pistol out already, taking aim at the Starmen. More of them were arriving every second.

"We can't _go_ anywhere right now."

Ana's PSI flared up.

"Let us take care of this. We'll make you a path, and deal with them ourselves. You have to stop Giygas!"

Before Ness could protest, could insist that they couldn't just leave them, Lloyd finalized the decision for them by launching a series of mini-bottle rockets into part of the Starman mass. Those that weren't caught in the explosions teleported out of harm's way, leaving a wide gap in their ranks.

"PSI Quicken: Omega!" Ninten yelled. "Now GO!"

Feeling uncontrollably jittery from his speed boost, Ness broke out into a sprint with his friends right behind him. A few Starman Ghosts attempted to get in their way, but he let loose with PK Rockin's new Omega level and blew them apart.

"They'll be okay," he heard Paula shout as they charged up the street.

They were already far ahead of the fighting, but it was still audible.

"I hope so," said Poo. "Has Giygas' army overtaken Onett?"

Ness clenched his teeth.

"…if they're here… they could have found where I live…!"

He passed the hotel, the library, and lastly the entrance to the town proper, never once slowing down until his home came into view. It was still standing, but that did little to ease his fears. Ness climbed the steps of his porch with a single leap, frantically banging on his door.

"MOM?! TRACY?! IT'S NESS!"

The blinds of his living room window shifted, revealing for just a moment a single eye before they shut again. A few seconds later, the door opened a crack.

"Ness…?"

"Mom!"

She hurriedly beckoned him and his friends inside as they finally caught up. Once everyone had entered, his mom locked the door rather forcefully behind them, then scooped him into a tight hug. He wasn't even embarrassed as he returned it, soon joined by Tracy after she raced down the stairs.

"Thank goodness you're all safe," she whispered. "Do you know what's going on out there? The sky became dark a while ago, and those robots showed up on the streets. I think everyone in town locked themselves in."

Ness cast a glare toward the window.

"They're here because of Giygas. Some other friends of ours are dealing with them in town right now, and we're about to go stop him. We have to get to the meteorite that fell on the hill first."

His mom bit her lip, peeking through the blinds. It occurred to him that, for the first time since he'd started his adventure, she seemed genuinely frightened. Yet at the same time, she put on a brave face.

"You've made it so far, I'm sure you can get over this last hurdle. Just promise to come back safe, okay?"

"And kick some alien butt!" Tracy added.

He gave them a nod and one more hug. Just as he was about to leave, he spotted the phone on the table.

"Actually… just wait one more second."

His mom offered his friends drinks while he picked it up and dialed. It had been too long since he called his dad, and Ness wanted to talk to him one last time before the adventure was over. He was answered before even a full ring had passed.

"Hello?"

He smiled at his voice.

"Hey, Dad."

"Ness! Are you okay? Onett's all over the news! Something about an alien invasion, is that right? How are your mom and Tracy?"

"I'm fine, so are they. My friends and I are here to see the meteorite one more time, then we'll be able to finish this."

"Nearly done, are you…"

There was an emotion in his voice Ness couldn't quite put to words.

"Well then, I'm sure you're all going to do great. I can't wait to hear about your grand victory, so pay attention to every detail! And come back home safe, all right?"

"Mom said the same thing," he chuckled.

"I'm sure she did. You _have_ to worry at least a little, don't you? That's just part of being a parent…"

Ness paused. He didn't sound like he was talking to him anymore.

"Dad…?"

"Huh? Oh, don't worry. Just get out there and save the world, champ. I'm rooting for you the whole way."

The call was cut short from the other end, leaving him with a silent receiver and an odd feeling in his chest.

* * *

Ninten's bat shattered the visor of an unlucky Starman with a satisfying "crunch." It stumbled, blindly swinging its arms in an attempt to club him over the head, but finally went down when Lloyd put a laser through the exposed circuitry.

There was no time to thank him for the help, because two more of the black robots had taken the place of their fallen cohort. Somehow, it only just occurred to Ninten that he _really_ wished he could use offensive PSI. He narrowly leaped out of the way before their PK Beams streaked past and blew apart a mailbox on the street corner they'd chosen for the ambush. His bat was perfectly capable of damaging the enemies, and Teddy had bashed three apart with his bare hands, but they'd quickly learned to keep a safe distance.

Lloyd and Ana would have fared better thanks to their ranged attacks had the Starmen not employed the opposite tactic against them and teleported closer for blunt physical strikes. Coupled with their greater numbers, the result was most of them giving Ninten and Teddy a wide berth on one side of the road, while the rest encircled their friends on the other.

Frustrated, Ninten cast Quicken onto himself and ran down the nearest Starman at a greater speed than it would be able to retreat from. It wasn't until he took a mighty swing that he realized it hadn't planned to retreat anyway. Just before his bat could connect, the robot teleported to the exact spot it stood on, disappearing as his weapon passed where it used to be then reappearing by the time Ninten's swing had cleared it. For his efforts, he received a metal kick to the chest and was thrown off his feet.

"This isn't working…"

Previous models had employed a "strength in numbers" tactic without much self-preservation, and the while mob mentality hadn't been abandoned, the new Ghost-class robots were clearly better at keeping themselves alive. As Ninten struggled to get up, he watched the mass around Lloyd momentarily disperse when a thrown bomb sailed out of their midst. It exploded in the open, not harming a single one of them, and they resumed their efforts to overwhelm him and Ana. From the looks of things, his friends were barely keeping them at bay.

"We need to help them!" he shouted to Teddy, who'd managed to grab hold of a Starman and punch straight through its visor.

"Yeah, if we can _get_ there!"

He had a point; the two groups of robots had dedicated their efforts to keeping the team apart. When a few of them teleport-dodged another bomb thrown by Lloyd, they only left the gap open for a moment. Those assigned to fighting Ninten made sure he was blocked from getting any closer to help them until the Starmen hounding Lloyd closed ranks again.

Yet another swing whiffed, but this time the enemy didn't stay close enough to retaliate as a third bomb sailed past the crowd, bouncing on the pavement toward it and Ninten. Time seemed to slow down for him, his instincts kicking in without any better options available. His grip on the bat tightened. He kept his eyes on the bomb, which bounced one more time to about chest height and couldn't have been much bigger than…

 _"_ _Please don't let this blow up in my face!"_

His bat connected with it hard, miraculously not detonating it but rather knocking it back the way it had come. The bomb flew toward him just as the Starmen who'd avoided it the first time around teleported back into the fray, and it wound up in the middle of them.

Ninten couldn't deny feeling proud of himself as the resulting explosion cleared a wide gap in the enemies, followed by a light shower of metal shards. Even better, those remaining appeared too stunned by the surprise turn of events to continue their relentless assault, giving Lloyd and Ana time to further blast away at their ranks. Soon, the Starmen had thinned out enough for him and Teddy to regroup with them.

"That might've been the craziest thing I've ever done," he half-chuckled, half-sputtered.

"It worked, didn't it?" Lloyd said, taking aim as the Starmen recomposed themselves for another strategy.

Ana's PSI washed over them all, healing the injuries they'd sustained.

"When was the last time we fought together like this?" she asked.

"You mean when you _weren't_ evil?" Teddy said.

Ninten stood back to back with his friends and defiantly raised his bat to the sky. The robots closed in again.

"Too long. Way, _way_ too long."

With renewed confidence, the four sprang into action once again.

* * *

Trudging up the hill had no sense of mystery for Ness this time. Only suspense, with the final stage of his adventure at hand. Far below, from the limited view of the town he had, he could see the fight still raging.

 _"_ _I hope they'll be okay… I hope WE'LL be okay."_

They passed Lier X. Agerate's house, and soon enough the party stood at the very top of the hill where he'd met Buzz Buzz. The meteorite was still there, but its orange glow had faded to a dull gray.

"Are we going to carry this whole thing back with us?" Paula asked as they approached it.

Jeff had a hand on his chin.

"I don't think so. I'm sure I can find a way to salvage the needed materials-"

The four stopped short when a shining beam of light struck the ground before the meteorite. As it faded, another figure stood on the hill, towering above them. Ness, in all honesty, wasn't surprised when it leered at him in particular.

"Welcome back, boy."

Starman Junior retained the golden armor from their last encounter, but this time it featured multiple spikes on its shoulders and head, just as Starman DX had. An immense psychic power resonated in Ness' senses; it had clearly prepared for this moment.

"You will not be killed by Master Giygas. You will not even _reach_ him. Your journey ends here, where it began!"

It opened with a barrage of lasers from its visor, scattering them. Ness cast PK Rockin' after his quick dodge, but the psychic bolts rebounded off an invisible force field around Starman Junior. He threw himself to the ground as his own attack sailed over his head.

 _"_ _Crap, that's the same shield DX had!"_

Laying in the grass unfortunately left him vulnerable to the robot raising a massive foot over his head. He was only saved when Poo sprang at it from the side, slicing a gash into its armor with his sword. The surprise did little beyond distracting Starman Junior, however, and by the time Ness used the chance to get back up it had swatted Poo to the ground. Jeff, having maneuvered to the other side, was firing lasers into its back that left only scorch marks against their foe.

It started toward Ness again. An electric beam blasted from its visor, forcing him to narrowly sidestep once more. This time, he dodged toward it and ground his heel into the dirt. His momentum carried his bat around much harder, slamming into its right leg just below the waist. Starman Junior buckled but didn't fall. A metal arm collided with his chest, and a second later he was on his back a short distance away from it.

 _"_ _Right… didn't that happen the first time, too?"_

There was a commotion, then Paula hit the ground just beside him. Ness cast Lifeup on them both and helped her stand as he tried to form a strategy. Their opponent had shifted its attention to Jeff, stomping toward him while he fired more lasers. His hands were trembling as he gripped his gun, and it became clear he wasn't so much as denting the Starman.

"I can't get through its shield!" Paula groaned. "All my PSI just bounces off!"

Poo slashed again, this time managing to cut a sizeable hole into its back. He drew his sword back to stab the damaged area, but the Starman disappeared. They were able to regroup in its brief absence, gathering at the center of the hill.

"Your psychic attacks are getting rebounded," Jeff said, "and physical strikes aren't very reliable."

"What about that spot on its back I cut open?" asked Poo.

Ness mulled it over.

"Its armor is too tough for us to break on our own, but you might've made a weak spot for us. Maybe we can hit it there."

Starman Junior teleported back onto the battlefield, immediately releasing a wide PK Fire. Paula was the first to react and cast PSI Shield onto the group. As the flames dissipated against their barriers, it followed up by charging them head-on and swept its arms out, sending all four sprawling. The robot skidded against the ground, passing behind them by several yards after its dash.

Jeff took the initiative and rolled over from where he'd landed to fire a bottle rocket toward its back. The explosion didn't quite hit the mark, but succeeded in forcing their enemy to stumble. Ness, who'd stood up closest to it, swung as hard as he could into the spot Poo had damaged. His bat connected with a satisfying "crack" that further opened the weak point, but his arms ached in the aftermath. Starman Junior whirled around, blasting PK Freeze against his shield. It completely shattered, and Ness barely sidestepped its arm when it tried to skewer him afterwards. He put further distance between them with a few short jumps.

"I have prepared too long for this to be defeated again!" it roared.

The shield around it flickered, then there was a hum as something changed on its back. Paula had used its distraction to sneak around and slam her frying pan into the weak point, but she recoiled with a yelp of pain.

"Shield: Beta holding steady. PSI Shield: Beta holding steady," Starman Junior beeped.

Poo's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened.

"It's using _both?_ "

"I will surpass ANY limitation to destroy you!"

 _"_ _So we can't hit it or we'll get hit back, and we can't use our PSI because that'll bounce off,"_ Ness thought. _"Unless… that humming came from behind it, so maybe…"_

It turned to face Paula in retaliation and blasted a bolt of electricity at her feet. Her shield withstood the damage, but the force was almost enough to knock her off the hill altogether. Starman Junior advanced on her, the barrier on its back reflecting Jeff's shots as he tried to draw its attention to no avail.

 _"_ _Wait! If his lasers aren't doing anything, then… I've got it!"_

Ness experimentally cast a PK Rockin' which yielded magnificent results. The shield put up no resistance to it whatsoever, and his attack exploded against the exposed weak point. For his efforts, he was rewarded by the sight of real damage against Starman Junior for the first time in the battle. It shuddered and groaned, nearly toppling over.

"How did you do that?" Jeff shouted.

"He's got two shields, but they must not both be covering his whole body!" Ness replied, suddenly feeling very encouraged. "The front reflects PSI, and the back reflects all other attacks!"

Starman Junior regained its composure and fired a bolt of PK Thunder at each member of the group in quick succession. Paula absorbed three of them with PSI Magnet, while Ness took a direct hit. The Franklin Badge came in handy for the first time in a while, harmlessly bouncing the electricity back toward his enemy. It reflected off the PSI shield in turn and scorched the ground between them.

The fight didn't get any easier. Starman Junior began to rapidly teleport and release bursts of flame, herding Ness, Paula, and Poo toward the edge of the hill. They couldn't disperse enough to surround it, and its frontal shield refused to falter. Jeff was the only one allowed to attack from behind, but he faced the same problem as his attacks had no effect against the rear barrier.

"If only I could get close enough," Poo growled, bringing up his sword to block another PK Freeze.

"I will crush you all!"

It advanced, threatening to overwhelm the three as it continued to blast them with PSI. Jeff remained several yards back, looking on in utter helplessness. The flames on the hill prevented him from circling around to join them.

"I'm almost out of power," Ness panted. His only option was to constantly heal the damage they were receiving, and his psychic energy had drained _fast._

Starman Junior launched another PK Thunder, and he rushed in front of his friends to let it strike the Franklin Badge. Something clicked in his head as it rebounded off him.

"Paula! Do you think you could curve an attack behind it?"

"I-I think so! But I can't turn my PSI enough to hit its back!"

Ness took off the badge, throwing it over the Starman's head to Jeff. He caught it with a slightly bewildered look.

"Oh, I think I get it," Paula said. "Here goes… PK Thunder!"

She made an arcing motion with her hands as the bolts fired, and they flew around its body to where Jeff was standing. He covered his face with a cringe, but as Ness had hoped the electricity didn't harm him at all. Paula's attack struck the Franklin Badge and coursed into Starman Junior's weak point from behind. Its entire body convulsed, entire slabs of its armor blowing apart from the inside until it was little more than a skeleton of circuitry and gears.

"Will… not-not-not-not surrender…"

It had stopped attacking, despite what it said. Starman Junior's voice crackled and stuttered at random, and it barely seemed able to stay upright.

"Why… can't… I…"

Finally, its legs gave out. The robot collapsed in a heap on the scorched ground, and what little of its visor remained blinked offline.

"N…e…s…s…"

He stared at it, and an odd feeling stirred somewhere within him.

"Jeff," he said after casting one final Lifeup on the group, "can you go take care of the meteorite?"

Ness heard him trot toward the middle of the hill. Paula and Poo idled about as well, while he remained where he was: looking at his decimated foe.

A strange revelation clicked in his head. Maybe the end of his adventure was making him think more poetically than usual, but it occurred to Ness that in many respects, Starman Junior had been more of a nemesis to him than even his true enemy. Giygas was the main threat, and it was nearly time to confront him and put a stop to the invasion once and for all. That _was_ the reason he set out in the first place.

But when he considered the perseverant robot at his feet, he realized that all along it had more of a personal motivation than its master. Whatever Giygas may have wanted from him as his servant paled in comparison to the Starman who'd held a grudge since its first defeat. As Ness grew stronger, so did it. They'd battled three times across the adventure, and in each encounter it proved more determined to stop him than most of the enemies he'd faced.

Ness _had_ to fight Giygas. Giygas _had_ to fight him. But Starman Junior _wanted_ a rematch after each loss. And that dedication earned a certain degree of respect from him, he had to admit.

"All set," Jeff announced.

His train of thought ended there. He gave his fallen nemesis one more look, then joined his friends by the meteorite.

Jeff's bag was even lumpier than usual, crammed with various parts he'd salvaged from Buzz Buzz's ship. Ness wished he had even the slightest clue how any of it worked.

"Should we go back and help the others?" Paula asked.

Ness looked out into town, where the fighting could still be seen.

"They told us we had to stop Giygas," he said. "I think they'll be okay. It's time to end this."

With their business done, they gathered around him. He teleported the group away from Onett, silently praying that it wouldn't be the last time he ever saw it.

* * *

 _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship_ Guide to New Bosses

 **The Penultimate Foe: Final Starman**

"The upgraded Starman Junior challenges you one last time, back on the hills of Onett. He's prepared extensively for this encounter, and will put all of your techniques to the test."


	64. Departure

Chapter 64: Departure

Saturn Valley spun back into focus, this time without a hard surface getting in Ness' way. Dr. Andonuts, Apple Kid, and a few Mr. Saturns were gathered around another Phase Distorter in the middle of the village. It was identical to the machine they'd traveled in previously, save for a conspicuous "3" on the nose.

"We're back!" Ness announced as they walked over.

Dr. Andonuts turned to them, and for the briefest second a cringe passed over his face. He accepted the meteorite parts from Jeff, staring wordlessly at them. Just before his silence became awkward, he looked at Ness again.

"Thank you. Apple Kid, can you work with this? I will…"

His voice trailed off. Apple Kid stepped back from his work on the Phase Distorter 3 to take the parts they'd collected, and Ness found himself stunned at the look on his face. It was one of genuine fear.

"You're going to…"

"That's right," Dr. Andonuts said shortly. "I'll handle it, just get to work on preparing the time travel functionality."

Apple Kid glanced at Ness and his friends, eyes in pained crescents, then hurried back over to the device.

"What's the matter?" he asked, the mood excruciatingly clear.

There was no reply for a few seconds. Dr. Andonuts took a very long, very deep breath.

"Follow me."

Jeff had only a nervous shrug to offer regarding his father's behavior, so Ness did as told and trailed after him. They came to a secluded area of the valley, in the shade behind one of the Mr. Saturn houses. Four blocky, gray robots were neatly laid on the grass before them.

"We'll be able to send you on your way soon," Dr. Andonuts said after another moment. "You can finish this at last."

"But?" Poo asked.

An even longer sigh followed.

"We've done our best to prepare the Phase Distorter 3 to travel through time. Every possible calculation, every imperfection in its ability to bring you where- and when- you need to go, save for one. Unlike our enemies, we don't have the advantage of fully understanding this technology, and there was one factor we weren't able to resolve: the process itself could be disastrous for your bodies. Your organic forms could be completely demolished while warping…"

Ness' eyes traced back to the robots. He had a feeling he knew what was going to happen.

"…so we made the only failsafe we could. You four will have to implant your mental 'programs,' so to speak, into these robotic shells while your bodies remain behind."

"Then we'll be safe when we go take on Giygas?" asked Paula, the apprehension in her tone betraying her optimism.

"No. In a sense, I will be moving your souls into the robots. Should they be destroyed in the battle… I can't say for sure. I don't know what's going to happen afterwards, either."

His voice quavered.

"I don't know what will happen to you all…"

Ness looked up from the robots, at Paula. Then at Jeff. Then, finally, Poo. His friends, and the people who'd supported him through it all.

"I'll do it," he said, "but if any of you guys-"

"Seriously?" Paula cut him off. "You weren't gonna volunteer to go by _yourself_ , were you? After everything we've been through, there's no way I'm letting you do this alone."

He blinked. Jeff was almost chuckling.

"Always the valiant hero. We're scared too, or at least I am. I've never been so worried about something in my life, but that's not dissuading me. I'm coming with you too."

"As am I," Poo said. "This journey, though I was late to join it, has taught me much about myself, and about the world. I'd never forgive myself if I abandoned you now."

Ness fought back the lump in his throat and turned to Dr. Andonuts again.

"I guess that's that. We'll do it."

"…very well. Each of you lay down next to a robot, and close your eyes. I'll begin the transfer procedure."

His last sensation was of the cool grass tickling the back of his neck.

* * *

For the rest of his life, Ness would never be able to properly describe how he felt.

Physically speaking, he didn't _feel_ anything. The breeze brushed against him without registering against his skin, and the sunlight caused his eyes no discomfort. This was, of course, because he didn't have those parts anymore. They had been replaced by a metallic, blocky outer shell and photoreceptor lenses in his face. The only familiar part of himself was his own psychic power, which he could still detect somewhere beneath the mechanical exterior.

Three other robots, all identical to him, were shakily adjusting to their new legs at his side. Despite their resemblance, he could identify them as his friends thanks to a scanner in the screen that now comprised his vision. And just behind them, four limp bodies lay peacefully in the grass. The sight would have made his breath catch in his throat if he had either of those.

"Can you all hear me?"

Dr. Andonuts was inspecting each of them, lingering on Jeff for a few moments longer than the others.

"Yes," Ness' voice emitted from a speaker somewhere in his body.

"In any other situation, I'd find this exciting," said Jeff.

"This almost feels similar to my training," Poo remarked. "It's not my first out-of-body experience."

Paula gently rapped the tips of her clawed fingers against her torso, producing a dull clang.

"Are these strong enough to resist damage?" she asked.

"They should be," Dr. Andonuts said, "and with some modifications from the scrap we could salvage in the Stonehenge lair, your PSI can even be used to repair them in battle."

"The Phase Distorter 3's ready!" Apple Kid shouted.

It was time, then. They left behind all of their belongings except for their weapons and piled into the vehicle. Their bodies awkwardly scraped and thudded against one another, not at all helped by the cramped space. As the hatch hissed shut behind them, Ness' last view of the outside world was Apple Kid giving him a nervous thumbs-up.

"Once more, with feeling," Jeff muttered as he started their departure.

A few seconds later, there was an anticlimactic bump under them.

"We're here," he continued. "The Lost Underworld, about a thousand years in the past."

Paula hummed.

"Really? I figured time travel would be… flashier."

"There will be enough chaos in the battle ahead," said Poo. "As long as we are where- and when- we need to be, that's good enough for my tastes. Let's get going."

To no one's surprise, they weren't face to face with Giygas when the hatch opened. In fact, they had landed on the same cliff as during their first attempt. The cave looked much different this time, however. Rather than stepping onto a grassy surface, Ness' robotic leg clunked against stone. The pitch-blackness beneath them was obscured by a thick, unidentifiable gas that swirled around them. He also realized the unusual heap of scrap metal was missing, but he'd taken in the sights enough. It was time to get a move on.

Unlike previously, the plateau didn't end in a solid cavern wall, but instead a tunnel leading to parts unknown. They proceeded in single file, Ness at the front and clutching his bat. Onett's invasion force may have mercifully broken up the tense silence with a surprise attack, but there was no such luxury here. The four walked unimpeded through cave after cave in an endless march, the only noise their clanking footsteps.

Finally, almost twenty minutes later, they reached something different. The tunnel brought them to a sheer cliff face, open in which was a triangular crevice. There was nowhere else to go but through the dark crack, so they did, and found themselves in a completely separate environment.

Reddish pipes snaked along the floor, the walls, the ceiling, _everywhere_ , hissing and even occasionally vibrating. Ness was glad not to have a stomach, if only because their resemblance to intestines would have been nauseating. They twisted and branched amidst one another, creating a hallway that led them deeper into the enormous mechanism. While the cave had been desolate, something about this felt very much alive- and malevolent.

The further they walked, the more Ness became aware of a noise somewhere ahead. A distinct hum, like that of a generator, lowly droning amidst the hissing pipes. It wasn't until they reached what must have been the center of the place that its source became apparent: they were staring at… something.

They stood in a very wide, circular chamber where the hundreds of tubes converged into a great knotted mass. A dark, round surface at its front gave the bizarre structure the likeness of a gigantic eye. The humming stopped as they drew closer, replaced by a long, deathly wheeze.

Then the "pupil" sank as if looking directly at them. It was surprisingly reflective, enough so that Ness could see his own face in it.

But he was still a robot, and it wasn't a reflection at all. His _human_ face stared back at him from the circular panel, which had contorted and reshaped to take on his likeness. It did nothing but look upon him and his friends with a vacant gaze.

"Is… _this_ thing Giygas…?" he heard someone ask. He wasn't paying enough attention to discern who.

A much louder noise startled all of them. Something came into view overhead, descending toward their level while emitting a high-pitched cackle. Ness' first impression was that of an enormous metal spider, with its rounded body and thin, sharpened legs. They all jumped back, weapons and/or PSI ready, as the spider lightly touched down between them and the repulsive structure.

He realized that its shape was familiar. It wasn't a spider at all, or even an animal. It was the stolen prototype Phase Distorter, heavily adapted by the looks of it. Like its surroundings, it was covered in organic-looking tubing and veiny pipes on its exterior. The only part left exposed was the dome around the cockpit, inside of which sat someone he hadn't seen in a very long time. When his grand entrance was finally over, the pilot leered at them.

"Ness! You made it all this way, at last! Surprised to see me?!"

Pokey's eyes glinted behind his unkempt yellow bowl cut. He let out a screech of laughter.

"That IS you down there, right? You guys look pathetic! You're barely heroes, and now you aren't even HUMANS! Guess you need the best contacts you can find to make a time machine that actually works right!"

"Why are you here?" he shot back. "You don't really think you're _equal_ to Giygas, do you? Where is he?"

Pokey's grin didn't fade. He stuck a thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the eye behind him.

"In there. This is the Devil's Machine, the one thing keeping his awesome power in check. I've got him locked up nice and safe, ready to sic him on anyone I please. You're right, Ness. I'm not equal to Giygas; I'm BETTER than him now!"

He leaned forward, sticking his tongue out at them.

"The Apple of Enlightenment's made a prediction. It thinks you'll defeat Giygas, and save the day. I guess it hasn't been wrong before, but it didn't expect _me!_ I'll be the deciding factor in your defeat. Why?"

His toothy smile returned, even stretching further than before.

"Because I've set this whole thing in motion!"

Ness gripped his bat. PSI charged in his robotic body.

"You're crazy. I'm-"

"Shut up!" Pokey hissed. "I'm gloating here, let me finish before I smack you down! We're a thousand years in the past, right? Way above us, on the surface, the aliens are invading Scaraba right _now._ The precious, poor little people are sensing something more evil than they can comprehend down here, which just happens to be Giygas himself. I brought him here using the time travel technology from that Starman, and the Scarabians realizing something was wrong eventually led to you getting the clue to go to the pyramid in the first place. You're welcome for that, by the way."

He and his friends were speechless, which Pokey unfortunately took as an invitation to continue.

"But that's not all! I've _also_ had the Mani Mani taken from the invading army and buried under a spot that, one day, we'll live right next to. It'll prepare us nicely for Giygas to begin his plan, and by that I mean for this whole time loop to come around again. All because of ME. Isn't that hilarious?!"

"I see," Ness deadpanned, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a shocked response- shocked though he was. "And then what? Now that you've done all your time traveling to get us here, what'll you do next?"

"Easy! You've all made it to this point, and this is where you're going down. After that, I'll return to the present and take over for myself! Just imagine it: Master, no KING Pokey! King of the whole world, with you chumps out of the way. Are you as pumped as I am?!"

"The only one going down is you!" Paula shouted. "We won't let you or Giygas win!"

"Ahahahaha! Too cute. But you should know, there's still a lot you don't understand about how doomed you are. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? Before I have Giygas tear you apart, I'm taking a crack at you myself."

He glared directly at Ness.

"I've been waiting so _long_ for a chance like this. You wanna fight me, don't you, old buddy? You wanna teach me a lesson for kidnapping your girlfriend, and all that other stuff?!"

His mech's front legs scraped together, then smashed down against the floor and sent a tremor through the room. The Devil's Machine groaned before them as the final battle of the adventure began.

"COME HERE, LOSERS!" Pokey roared. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!"


	65. Cease to Exist

Chapter 65: Cease to Exist

Ness was under attack almost instantly, as Pokey charged with one of the Phase Distorter's legs raised to skewer them. He hurriedly cast a barrier in front of him that took the hit, cracking in the center when the tip speared through it. His friends used the momentary diversion to surround the mech, hitting it from all sides with ranged attacks. They scored numerous hits, but weren't able to significantly damage it.

Within the cockpit, Pokey howled with laughter and threw several levers. His mech balanced itself on three legs, violently whirling the others around itself like a helicopter. Though all of them backed away before they could be harmed, Ness' bat was caught by one of the tips and smashed apart.

Unarmed, he opted to cast Paralysis onto the Phase Distorter. Its spinning legs ground to a halt as its joints locked up, but before they could take the chance to attack again Pokey hit another button. An inexplicable wave pulsed out of the mech, throwing them all back. He regained control and settled into a more defensive stance, his smirk as wide as ever.

Ness wound up alongside Jeff, who had just finished assembling his bazooka. Pokey, whose attention hadn't left him once, saw it too and clenched his jaw. The mech planted its legs into the floor as a hatch on its back opened. Four thin rockets blasted out and homed in on the pair.

"PK Thunder!"

Paula and Poo shouted in unison, casting a pair of bolts that intercepted the missiles and detonated them mid-flight. For good measure, they merged their attacks to strike at Pokey with one enormous blast. He directed his mech to jump out of the way, but landed right in Jeff's line of fire. The bazooka's rocket slammed him head-on, causing the Phase Distorter to rear back. Finally, Ness brought his hands together and let out PK Rockin' at its Omega level. His PSI converged on Pokey in a brilliant explosion, and when the lights faded the mech struggled to remain upright on its rickety legs. The cockpit had been blasted on all sides, now sporting innumerable scorch marks.

Before they had a chance to continue attacking, the Phase Distorter leaped clear of them and landed in the middle of the chamber, near the Devil's Machine.

"I understand you guys already think you're heroes," Pokey spat, "but you're so, SO hopelessly outmatched! Giygas is stronger than you could ever dream. His mind was destroyed by his own psychic power, and the only thing he's got left is single-minded rage. He's not just evil. He _IS_ evil itself!"

He paused, then grinned at them again.

"But I know your type. That's not gonna deter you, is it? Well, I guess that's fair. You haven't even seen what Giygas _looks like_ , so of course you aren't ready to give up yet! Wouldn't you feel pretty stupid to come all this way and not even find out? I'm done fighting, so you might as well stick around and confront your big bad at long last! I'll turn off the Devil's Machine for you, heh heh heh…"

Pokey's voice deepened with every word, until he had reached a sadistic growl.

"Though, I should warn you… you're NOT ready for what's gonna happen next. Prepare to be amazed!"

With all the aplomb of a tattletale ratting out his classmates, he brought his fist down on a button within the Phase Distorter's cockpit. Ness had tuned out the constant hissing and humming of the pipes around them, but when they went silent he couldn't think of anything else. He dropped the splinters of his bat and regrouped with his friends as the lights dimmed.

Pokey remained where he was, still grinning. The Devil's Machine sagged, and the round panel with Ness' face shattered. It had been concealing a hollow cavity in the knot of tubes, and inside…

It was empty.

"There's nothing in there," Ness growled. "Do you think you're funny?"

"I'm _hilarious_ , but that isn't the point," Pokey said. "Giygas is in there, all right. Just keep looking…"

Something began to emerge from the hollow- no, that wasn't the word to describe it. Despite Pokey's insistence, there was still nothing inside, but Ness felt as if his attention was being forcibly pulled toward the gap. Then, a second later, everything around him went pitch black. He, his friends, and Pokey were the only things visible in the endless void.

 ** _"_** ** _N…E…S…S…"_**

The voice rang everywhere around them, wheezing and raspy. Somehow, even without his real body, Ness felt a familiar oppressive force weigh on him. Giygas was there, though he remained unseen.

He could only describe the sight before him as the abyssal dimension "shivering." The unearthly space rattled and compressed with each ghostly breath their foe took. Deep red spilled across the swirling maelstrom around them, pooling into something he hesitated to describe as a shape. It was some formless mass that lazily spiraled above the group, fluid in its movements but neither a liquid nor a gas. In fact, Ness wasn't entirely sure there was even anything _there_. His perception of reality was too warped at the moment.

All he knew was the sudden paralyzing fear that overtook him as he stared at the wheezing thing. For want of a means to properly describe it, his mind strained to put together an identifiable shape within the mass.

That shape just so happened to be an endless series of agonized, horrifically distorted faces.

"So," Pokey giggled, "isn't this terrifying? I'm terrified too. This is what the all-powerful Giygas has become… an all-powerful idiot. He can't think rationally, and he doesn't even know what he's doing. Heh heh heh… you should've let me do you suckers in before, and spared yourselves the impending torment. Now, you'll be just another meal to him!"

His mech took a few steps away and disappeared somewhere into the void. They were left by themselves, now fully submerged in the chaotic essence. Giygas was still whispering.

 ** _"_** ** _It's not right… it's not right…"_**

"W-what should we do?!" Jeff shouted.

Ness looked around for something, _anything_ , any possible weak point to attack. His search came up short; he couldn't even tell where one tortured face ended and the next began. At a loss, he aimed his hand in a random direction and cast an experimental PK Rockin'. The storm of purple bolts shot straight through Giygas, with absolutely no visible effect.

 ** _"_** ** _I… feel… g…o…o…d…"_**

Then Ness was crying out, grasping at his metal head in a vain effort to subdue the _agonizing_ pain ripping through it. He suffered no external damage in the slightest, as nothing was hitting him. His friends were screaming as well, but like him were seemingly unharmed. Giygas had launched an attack on their minds directly, not unlike in Moonside. When the barrage finally ended, he remained on his feet, but words couldn't describe the torture he'd endured.

 ** _"_** ** _I'm… scared… I'm so happy…"_**

Another unseen attack began to erode at their robot bodies. Entire strips of metal peeled away from Ness, and one of his hands snapped off altogether. It fell somewhere below, disappearing into the void.

"Just keep fighting!" he yelled. "Try ANYTHING! We can't give up!"

What followed was the most desperate, unhinged attack they had ever used. Ness blasted Giygas with every scrap of energy he could muster, outpouring PK Rockin' after PK Rockin'. Paula tried to freeze him solid enough to land a successful hit on, the sheer power of her ice storms nearly blowing her off her feet. Jeff set off all of the bombs and rockets he'd brought in what would have been a dazzling fireworks display were it not for the circumstance. Poo above all held nothing back, his PK Starstorm swirling amidst Giygas' red miasma and hurling meteors in every direction.

None of it did them any good.

As valiant as their efforts were, they had no means of damaging their foe, and between each attempt he would unleash another incomprehensible attack. They stood together, back to back as a team, but unable to defend themselves.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Pokey's laugh sounded from somewhere within the void.

"In this bizarre dimension, you four are the only chumps fighting for justice. Poetic, isn't it? The brave kids, taking on absolute evil with all they've got before they get burned up with the rest of the universe's garbage! Shall I shed a tear for you poor things?"

Giygas roared, and they were battered with more unseen strikes.

"My heart's beating so fast right now! I must be experiencing _absolute_ terror! But the difference between us is that _I'm_ gonna get out of this alive. Does that thought scare you, Ness? You've got telepathy or whatever, right? Why not call out before the end? 'Mommy! Daddy! Come save me, I'm gonna wet my pants! I don't wanna go!' AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The red mass converged. At his side, Paula had dropped to her knees. She clasped her hands together and began to whimper.

"Please, give us strength… someone, help us…"

That was it, then. Ness looked around in a panic, and it became clear that Pokey was telling the truth. Helpless against Giygas, they were about to die.

* * *

It was nearly ten at night by the time the Runaway Five stepped off the boat onto the docks of Toto. They'd arrived in Summers well past the point of getting to enjoy the sunlight it was so famous for. That didn't diminish their spirits, of course. After signing their first legitimate contract in longer than any of them could remember, they were overwhelmingly eager to set up for their next show overseas. No sketchy fine print or impossible fees this time.

Gorgeous signaled for his bandmates to join him on the sidewalk as they lugged their equipment toward the hotel. It was cumbersome and more than a little tiring, but their enthusiasm never wavered.

"We've finally made it to the big leagues, boys," he chortled. "What do you say-"

Just as he was about to propose a means of celebrating their success, something stopped him. It was an odd feeling, one of great concern and desperation that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Irrational as it was, he couldn't shake it. Then he realized what it meant.

"…hey, what do you think those kids are up to now?"

The others murmured to each other.

"Still fightin' the good fight, I bet," Lucky said. "Weren't they off to save the world? I wonder where they are."

Gorgeous took a deep breath.

"I hope they're okay; they deserve to make it home safe."

His bandmates nodded, muttering quiet agreements. He chuckled.

"Ah, I'm sure things'll work out for 'em. If _we_ got through our little stint, they should be fine too. Come on, the night's still sorta young. Let's get our junk to the room then hit the town."

* * *

A half-finished page of homework sat on the desk before Tony. His dorm's lights were dimmed, and there was very little chatter from the students neighboring his room, but he just couldn't find the motivation to finish. He'd been struck by a horrible, unnerving sensation.

Sighing, he glanced at the bed opposite his. It hadn't been used in some time.

"Jeff," he whispered, "please be okay, wherever you are. I don't want anything to happen to you or your friends…"

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _AGH… NO…"_**

Something changed in Giygas' voice. He was just as raspy and deafening as ever, but there was more of a hint of pain. The red miasma showed its first sign of change, distorting with an orange flash.

"What just happened?" Ness asked. "We didn't hit it with anything, did we?"

Paula remained where she was, continuing to whisper prayers.

"We can't do it alone… if anyone can hear my plea, give us your aid…"

* * *

Master Ramin, mentor to the crown prince of Dalaam, was silent. He kneeled before the throne, head bowed and eyes shut. He could tell Poo was in danger; all of the Earth's energy had become tainted by some unknowable evil. Four brave children were its sole defenders, far beyond the reach of any who could help them in person. He knew that, across the country, citizens of all ages were joining him in his meditation, even those without psychic potential.

 _"_ _Your ancestors smile upon you, young Prince,"_ he thought. _"We must all move on from this world one day… but Dalaam is not ready to bid you farewell just yet. Please, be victorious- and return to us alive."_

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _NESS, NESS, NESS, NESS, NESS, NESS, NESS."_**

Giygas lashed out again, and he found himself on his back with a gaping hole in his robotic torso. Frayed wires sputtered a few tiny sparks, then gave out.

"Paula's doing something to him!" Poo yelled, repairing Ness with PSI Lifeup.

It was true. The orange flashes came more and more frequently, and his voice lost stability every time.

"I don't believe it," Ness whispered as he got up. "Guys! Keep her safe!"

He, Jeff, and Poo formed a triangle around Paula, shouting nervous taunts at Giygas to draw his attention. They were smashed against each other by his invisible force, struggling to stay upright. She cried out when Ness took another blow for her.

"Just keep at it!" he grunted.

 ** _"_** ** _It… h…u…r…t…s…"_**

Ness braced himself for the attack, but nothing came. Instead he heard a horrible crunching noise and turned around just in time to watch Poo collapse, his legs bent at four different points.

"Speed this prayer to all the people of the Earth! Please, help us!"

* * *

Dr. Andonuts sat on the grass beside the four bodies. Their vitals remained constant, though that was hardly worth celebrating. He had no idea what the souls he'd removed from them were going through. His gaze traveled from Ness, to Paula, to Poo, and finally to Jeff.

In that moment, he was no doctor. He was just William Andonuts, a father who for the longest time had not been there for his son, and had just sent him off on a mission he might well never have come back from. His eyes filled with tears.

"You'd be proud of him, Julia," he whispered, his voice breaking. "So proud… I've never even told him about you. I don't deserve the second chance he's given me…"

Something nudged his elbow. A few Mr. Saturns had approached him from behind, looking curiously at the limp bodies.

"Did I do enough for them?"

Apple Kid asked the question as he sat down on the other side.

"I helped them out a few times during their adventure. They're my friends, some of the only friends I have. Is what I've done really good enough?"

"We both gave it our all," Dr. Andonuts said. "Our theories and inventions brought them to the climax of their journey. Now we can only pray that they will succeed."

More Mr. Saturns clustered around them, humming.

 _"_ _Come home, Jeff… and give this fool the opportunity to be there for you."_

* * *

The maelstrom couldn't be said to have suffered visible damage, but the intensity of the flashes had picked up. Moreover, Giygas was outright howling.

 ** _"_** ** _SUFFER. LOVE. KILL. KILL YOU. LOVE YOU. NESS!"_**

"H-help me…!"

Jeff went down next, his body almost damaged beyond recognition as its metal casing split open with a horrifying "snap." Ness was out of PSI, and could do nothing to help him or Poo. He stood alone against Giygas, shouting more nonsense at the abyss while Paula continued her desperate cry for help.

* * *

Lunchtime at the Polestar Preschool offered a much-needed break for more than just the kids. John Polestar, much as he enjoyed his job, could get just as tired as anyone else constantly tending to a horde of toddlers. He absentmindedly nibbled at his sandwich in the kitchen, savoring the brief downtime he was allowed before their next activity began.

Dawn, his wife, sat beside him and wiped her forehead with a chuckle.

"I cleaned up the carpet in the TV room. That's the last time we're giving them popcorn, agreed?"

"Agreed."

They were quiet for a moment, until he heard something that made him jolt upright. It was very faint, but John could have sworn the sound of his daughter's voice. Not from anywhere nearby, as there wasn't anywhere around him she could have been. It felt more abstract, in a way he didn't quite understand.

"What is it?" Dawn asked.

"…I miss Paula," he eventually managed to say. "I'm worried about her."

She leaned against him.

"I am too. I've _been_ worried this whole time."

"You've done a better job hiding it than I have," John muttered.

"It's because I can tell she's in good company. Ness seemed like a good kid, and I know they have each other's backs."

He stifled a laugh, shaking his head.

"I thought we had a few years left before she brought a boy home."

Dawn giggled as well.

"How time flies. Do you trust her judgement?"

"I do. Maybe I've been too protective of her, but I know she's a strong young lady. She isn't a little girl anymore."

"To you, she always will be," Dawn quipped.

He smirked and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I guess I can't argue with that. I think I wouldn't mind having Ness over again, or the other friends she's told us about. But first… she needs to get back in one piece."

* * *

The fighting in the streets of Onett was drawing to a close. Scrapped Starmen lay everywhere, their reinforcements gone. Yet they never retreated, not even as Ninten smashed the last one's head open with his bat. The robot collapsed onto the road. Fatigued, he did too.

"Is that all of them?"

His similarly exhausted friends were seated on the sidewalk and attempting to catch their breath.

"I think so," Lloyd panted. "Great work."

Ana had her head bowed.

"…they're fighting Giygas."

From where he sat against a mailbox, Teddy's head jerked up.

"Really? You can tell?"

She nodded.

"I can sense it. Ninten, what about you?"

Allowing himself to concentrate after the frenzied brawl, he found that he _could_ sense the battle, even though it wasn't from their time period. Giygas was letting out such an overwhelming force it nearly gave him a headache.

"Yeah. They're… struggling."

"We can't help them at all?" asked Lloyd.

Ninten rubbed his forehead.

"Not from here. The battle's out of our hands now. We just need to be confident that they'll win."

They were all quiet, then Teddy chuckled.

"If Giygas comes back again, I'm not escorting another group of kids. I've done enough of that for one lifetime."

"We'll draw straws on who goes next."

Ninten wasn't looking up, but he could hear the smile in Ana's voice.

 _"_ _This whole ordeal began with my family,"_ he thought. _"I'm sorry it had to come to you four. Please, do what we couldn't. End this once and for all"_

* * *

Ness and Giygas screamed in unison. The damage from Paula's prayer was clearly wearing him down, but his attacks become more ferocious every time. He had just dealt another crippling mental assault as the red swirls began to churn.

 ** _"_** ** _NO NO NO NO NO NO NO AHAHAHAHAHAHA."_**

Another invisible blow sent Ness onto his rear yet again. This time, his legs refused to respond.

"Ness…!"

He'd landed next to Paula, whose body was showing signs of deterioration from the repeated attacks.

 _"_ _I have to protect her! I HAVE TO!"_

He dragged himself to her with his hands alone, wrapping his arms around her metal torso in a clumsy embrace. Giygas was all around them, and Ness knew he couldn't do much to defend her from his onslaughts. But he had to do something. The two of them were the only ones left, as Jeff and Poo remained motionless.

At the end of his rope, he did the only thing he could think to. He prayed with her.

* * *

"I think the fight's over," Tracy whispered as she peered through the blinds.

Amber Harris sat at the dining room table, mindlessly tracing a circle in the wood grain. Although no aliens had come near her house, her heart rate refused to settle down. Why would it? Ness was in the final stage of his adventure, no doubt the most dangerous one, while she couldn't do anything but hide with Tracy and King. All she had was hope, and although she had it in spades it did little to ease the guilt knowing away at her.

She shot to her feet when the phone rang, darting over to it before Tracy could even get a quarter of the way through her offer to answer. Any distraction, no matter how minor, would do for her.

"Hello?"

"Amber? It's Clyde. How are things over there?"

Though she'd hoped it would be Ness, announcing his victory, the sound of her husband's voice was enough to help her nerves.

"Hi, honey. We're safe for now; someone has been dealing with the robots in town, and none of them have tried to get in."

"That's good. Any word from Ness?"

She bit her lip.

"Not yet. I think he and his friends are taking on Googie, or whatever his name is."

"Giygas."

"Right."

An uncomfortable silence passed. Tracy and King were looking at Amber, but she turned away from them.

"Clyde?"

"What is it?"

"Am… am I a bad mother for just letting him go on this adventure?"

The line was quiet for another few, torturous seconds.

"Don't ever say that," he replied. "It's obvious he's more than capable of fending for himself, and he's got his friends. That space bug came to Ness, not anyone else. If either of us should feel like a bad parent, it's me. You're the one who's usually there for him and Tracy."

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Clyde, you-"

"I keep us financially stable, I know," he muttered exasperatedly. "That's what I've always reminded myself. But… come on. I go on so many business trips that I'm missing out on them growing up. You've shouldered raising them by yourself for the most part, and you even got to be there to see Ness off on his journey in the first place."

"You know he doesn't hold anything against you."

"I know… actually, I have some good news. I've finally managed to get my schedule changed. From here on, I shouldn't have to leave as frequently!"

The news brought a genuine smile to Amber's face, and she lightly gasped.

"Oh, that's wonderful! Will you be home soon?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow, and I should be back two days from now. Keep it a surprise for Ness, okay? I'll also pick up a gift for his birthday. I know he's had his eye on that new Nintendo console."

She chuckled.

"Think you can keep _that_ a secret until next week?"

"Who knows? I'll do my best. Anyway, I should try to go to bed now. I'm getting out of here first thing in the morning so I can make it home quicker."

"Okay, sleep well. I love you."

"Love you too, honey. Try not to worry too much; Ness can get through this."

Clyde hung up, and she put the receiver down. She wasn't aware of the tears on her face until a small finger reached up and wiped her cheek. Tracy stood and King stood just beside her.

"Daddy's coming home soon," she whispered, failing to prevent her attention from returning to the battle. "Now we just need Ness to come back, and we can all be together for his birthday."

"…um…"

Tracy had an earnest, yet bashful expression.

" _I_ don't think you and Daddy are bad parents…"

Amber's eyes stung again. Before she knew it she was on her knees, half crying and half laughing into her daughter's shoulder.

 _"_ _Please,_ please _let us be together again…"_

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _AAAAAAAAGGGGGGH!"_**

Ness didn't let go of Paula even as an entire third of his torso was ripped apart. His robotic shell sparked and shuddered from the damage, and he knew he'd taken everything he could. Around them, Giygas was swirling like a tornado of red and orange, emitting a constant screech. His delusional rage had begun to affect Paula as well, denting her body inwards at nearly every point.

"I… I can't think of anyone else…!" she said. "Please! If ANYONE is out there, help us! PLEASE! Can anyone hear me?!"

There was no reaction.

"SOMEONE!" she sobbed.

Her call into the darkness faded once more.

"…please…"

 _"_ _Take a melody, simple as can be…"_

The voice wasn't coming from anywhere around them. It appeared to resonate within Giygas himself. But it wasn't him.

 _"_ _Give it some words and sweet harmony…"_

Ness recognized the song as what Ninten and his friends sang in their battle. It wasn't them either.

 _"_ _Raise your voices all day long now…"_

It was the voice of the woman he'd seen in his vision of Giygas' past.

 _"_ _Love grows strong now…"_

His adoptive mother, Maria, her spirit manifested in his twisted mental realm to sing for him one last time.

 _"_ _Sing a melody of love."_

The torrential storm came to a dead halt, and the screaming stopped. Ness twisted his head around to see the horrific faces begin to distort, their red and orange swirls dissipating into the endless black. That itself was changing: the void viciously shook and splintered apart. Giygas, he could tell by some unknowable means, was dying.

Suddenly, Pokey was with them again. Inside the cockpit of the Phase Distorter, he glanced at the tumultuous surroundings and nervously laughed.

"Ness! Now, I… well, it's gonna seem like I'm running away. But I think I'll just sneak away to some other era to cook up my next plan. In other words, it's a good bet we'll be meeting again sometime."

He could do nothing to stop him from fiddling with his controls. Ness couldn't even push himself upright; his body was no longer responding.

"So! I'll be seeing you! Which of us is the cool guy NOW, huh?!"

The Phase Distorter flashed and was gone, leaving only the four scrapped robots behind as Giygas tore apart around them. It escalated, and escalated, until the last shreds of color disappeared with a colossal bang. A moment later, Ness' body finally gave out. All functions ceased, and his vision went offline.

 _"_ _I guess… that's it? Are we dead?"_

His mind drifted aimlessly, unable to grasp any part of his surroundings. While the sensation wasn't nearly as terrifying as the battle against Giygas- he knew for certain that _nothing_ would ever match that- it was no less abstractly confusing.

 _"_ _Huh? What's this feeling…?"_

Something was tugging at Ness. Not physically, not even quite mentally. It was another addition to the growing list of incomprehensible forces affecting him. All he could do was concentrate on the unseen pull, the last remotely definable _thing_ in his perception. It beckoned for him, and he let himself drift closer to whatever it was, until…

Grass tickled the back of his neck, and a faint breeze drifted over him. A moment later, he realized he was gazing at a late afternoon sky. Grunting softly, he pushed himself to sit upright.

"Oh…!"

Dr. Andonuts was at his side, completely silent after his soft gasp. A few Mr. Saturns milled around him and his friends, who were also sitting up. Apple Kid sat on the other side of the group with more Mr. Saturns, and just behind them were the four previous heroes. Nobody said a word.

Ness looked to Paula, Jeff, and Poo. They stared back at him, and at each other. In unison, smiles crossed their faces and they began to chuckle. He raised a hand, and three others high-fived him.

Then cheers rang out from everyone watching. There were hugs, and laughs, and congratulations on all sides, and in the middle of it all the Chosen Four sat together and relished in the merriment. Giygas was gone, and the world was safe.

It was over.


	66. Smiles and Tears

Chapter 66: Smiles and Tears

The celebrations only lasted for about an hour, during which Ness and company recounted their experience to the eager listeners. Ninten and Ana reassured them that, this time, Giygas' malignant essence couldn't be detected. He really was gone, at long last.

At one point, the enigmatic photographer made an appearance and took a snapshot of the entire group.

"Congratulations on the win, heroes! I knew from the moment we met you'd go far. I'll be sure to drop off the album chronicling your adventure once I finish putting it together."

Then he was gone again. Try as he might, Ness just couldn't figure that guy out.

Eventually, the blissful atmosphere died down as a sense of finality set in. Their adventure, the ten-year struggle, was over, and it was time to go home. Poo cleared his throat.

"Words can't express my gratitude to you all. This journey has taught me so much, and I plan to use this knowledge for the good of Dalaam once I am King. It bears repeating; you will always be welcome in my country as honored guests."

Ness couldn't keep the smile off his face as he, Paula, and Jeff all gave him a bow. Poo blinked, then grinned and returned it.

"With that, I believe it's time for me to go. Safe travels, everyone. PSI Teleport: Beta!"

He spun around and was gone. Ness turned to Jeff next.

"Need a ride back to Winters?"

Jeff shook his head.

"I think I'm going to stay here with Doctor… with my dad for a while."

Of course, moments later he slapped his own forehead.

"Oh man, I've missed so much at school… what'll happen when I _do_ go back?"

Lloyd was standing with his own friends, but shouted over to them.

"I wouldn't worry about that! I'll be heading back myself, and I'm sure I can figure something out to keep you out of trouble."

"Goodbye!" Ana said, waving to them. "You've all done so well!"

"Don't be strangers, got it?" chortled Teddy. "We'll all have a drink together once you're old enough."

Ninten elbowed him in the ribs, though he was grinning too.

"Ana and I will be moving to Fourside pretty soon. If you're ever in the neighborhood, keep an eye out for us."

After one last wave goodbye, they trailed behind Ninten and teleported away. Jeff rubbed his arm, looking to Ness again.

"It was great to hang out with you guys. I'm glad I got the chance to put so many of my talents to good use."

"We'll have to get together again sometime, now that we get to be normal kids again," Paula laughed.

"I'd love to," he said. "And, hey… uh…"

Jeff's face split with a wide grin.

"If you two ever get hitched, you can rely on me to fix your broken appliances, okay? That's the least I can do."

The offer caused both him and Paula to blush, but Ness found himself just laughing along with his friends rather than being stunned into awkward silence. He'd been through too much with them in the roughly twenty days of his adventure to feel uncomfortable about anything.

 _"_ _Twenty days? Wow… we made pretty good time."_

"So… yeah," Jeff said, giving him and Paula one more hug. "I'll be seeing you. Let's have another adventure sometime."

He rejoined Dr. Andonuts. Apple Kid trotted over to them.

"Do you think you could bring me back to Twoson? I still have to finish the cyborg teddy for Paula."

Ness blinked, racking his brain until he remembered that being mentioned toward the beginning of his travels. So that came full circle after all, he supposed. The thought made him chuckle.

"I'd be happy to take you along. You helped us out so much, I at least owe you that."

Apple Kid laughed bashfully, but joined him and Paula. Ness focused on what he remembered of Twoson, and spun around to teleport. He spotted Jeff giving him one last thumbs-up before Saturn Valley disappeared.

They arrived in front of Burglin Park, and Apple Kid began to make his way up the street without hesitation.

"Thanks so much! And great job on your adventure; I'll keep you in mind next time I come up with a new invention! I have _so_ many new ideas to try out!"

Then, it was just him and Paula. Her house wasn't very far away, and he figured it was time to bid her farewell. That was until she slipped her hand into his and nodded toward the north end of town.

"Come on. I'll walk with you to the way back to Onett," she said, her cheeks very slightly flushed.

He made no arguments, strolling up the road hand in hand with her. Neither of them said anything, but they didn't need to. They merely enjoyed one another's presence all the way to the path on which Ness had fought through walking mushrooms so long ago. A sign greeted them: "Welcome to Onett, the Number-One Neighborhood!"

"Well… that's it," he said.

Ness let go of her hand as the reality that they would be parting ways sank in. His eyes threatened to well up.

"Uh… so long," Paula muttered.

"See ya," he replied.

"…bye."

They stood there, looking at their feet in silence. Taking a deep breath after a few seconds, Ness screwed up the nerve to speak again.

"Paula-"

He didn't get the chance, as she attacked him with a tight hug around his neck. The shock barely lasted a second before he returned it, but she surprised him again when he felt a sudden kiss on his cheek. Paula stepped back at last, blushing intensely but also smirking at how no doubt tomato-esque he looked.

"Bye, Ness," she whispered.

His brain refused to reorient itself, so he could only give her a light wave and a goofy smile as she sprinted back toward Twoson. He, the last member of the Chosen Four, turned around to look up the road back home. No dark clouds in sight, meaning Giygas' invasion was well and truly over.

Ness adjusted the straps of his backpack, straightened his baseball cap, and broke into a run. He ran past the arcade, and the town hall, and the hotel, and the library. He ran up the sidewalk with the drugstore, casting a spare glance toward the way to Giant Step. He ran onto the path to Onett's outskirts. And he didn't stop running until he was up the steps of his porch, knocking on the door.

King's bark answered first, followed by his mom opening it with Tracy not far behind. All he could give them initially was an ear-to-ear smile as the curtains closed on his adventure.

"We won."

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

With that, my third novelization comes to a close. Thank you all so much for following me through this long endeavor.

I don't have as much free time now as I used to, so my next BIG story probably won't be coming for some time. In the meantime, maybe I'll continue my Cave Story oneshot collection. It's been a while since I updated that.

But the hiatus doesn't mean you won't get to know what _does_ come next. There's one update left for this story... tune in soon for the grand reveal.

Once again, thank you all.

-MetroidMan101


	67. The End?

**THE END…?**

* * *

Pokey Minch sat in the Phase Distorter's cockpit, drumming his fingers against the console. It had taken more damage during the climactic battle than he'd expected, and the time travel function was severely impaired- he'd only retreated to about an hour after Giygas' death. He was alone, at least, but his greatest asset was gone. What was he supposed to do now?

Not feeling particularly motivated to finish repairing his craft at the moment, he reached into his pocket and withdrew an old, tattered notebook. The troops from Stonehenge had brought it to him from one of the Commanders. As they explained, this very book had prompted Giygas' first invasion ten years prior. Well, technically speaking, about a thousand years _after_ his current perspective.

The thought of what private information could spur such an event crossed his mind, and curiosity set in. Pokey flipped through page after page, but the book was so old much of it was barely legible. Most of the remaining content was about PSI, of course; it WAS the signature technique of the alien invaders. He continued to skim, reading whatever he could, until he came to a particular area of the book which seemed to have been sealed by water damage for years.

 _"_ _Ugh, this thing's nasty…"_

He was just barely able to separate two pages without ripping them. What he saw underneath made him pause: the notes here were much more frantically scribbled, consisting mainly of several very short terms or phrases.

"Floating island."

"Crown."

"Magical creatures in Scaraba fought off the invasion."

"Magic- counter to their powers."

"One of them was on Earth!"

Was the author just going nuts when he wrote this? Pokey couldn't make heads or tails of most of it. There was exactly one term he had more than a vague familiarity with, underlined quite heavily at the bottom of the page.

While Mount Itoi in the middle of Eagleland was among its most famous natural landmarks, Pokey had heard of another mountain as well. Standing a few days north of Fourside, in the wilderness where few dared venture, was a more foreboding landmass. Pokey had heard stories: anyone who climbed the mountain would never be seen again.

Why did the author of this book about aliens and PSI care so much about Mount Ebott? And what _had_ he meant by "floating island?"

Pokey got to work immediately, trying to pry more pages apart. He _had_ to know more.

* * *

"Hey, Ness. You got something in the mail."

A week had passed since he returned home. He and Tracy were sitting at the kitchen table, eagerly digging into the household-famous pancakes their dad made. He set an envelope down in front of Ness and went back to the stove before the next batch could burn.

"Isn't it kind of early for that?"

It was Ness' birthday, and barely even ten in the morning. He couldn't imagine what would possibly arrive for him. Surely not a card from his friends; they were going to meet up again that afternoon. The envelope itself lacked any return address or even a stamp, sporting only his name in messy handwriting.

"That's what I thought, too," his dad said, running a hand through his messy black hair. He'd settled into being back home with almost as much enthusiasm as Ness, and hadn't bothered to comb that day. "I didn't see who left it, but it couldn't have come in more than a few minutes ago."

Before he even had a chance to stare blankly at the envelope, Ness overheard something from the TV, playing in the living room, which caught his attention.

"Breaking news: a missing persons report has been filed for Walter Robenn, 44. Robenn' neighbors informed Fourside Police that he disappeared from his apartment yesterday morning without notifying any of his close contacts, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Anyone with information on Robenn which could help find him is urged to contact the Fourside Police Department at…"

"It's been a while," Ness' dad remarked. "For as big of a city as Fourside is, not that many people go missing. That doesn't have anything to do with your adventure, does it?"

He shook his head.

"I've never heard of that guy. And now that the Mani Mani's gone, nobody should be under any weird influence there."

Tracy chimed in through a mouthful of half-eaten pancake.

"Maybe the mountain took him."

Ness looked at her, frowning.

"What mountain?"

"Y'know, Mount Ebott. It's sorta near Fourside, right? And people say that if you go near the mountain, demons take you and you're never seen again. _Ooooo~!_ "

Now that he thought about it, Ness did remember hearing the occasional rumor at school about that place. He'd barely paid the stories any mind before his journey; monsters and aliens weren't real. Or so he'd thought. Whether or not _demons_ were real was a different matter, but something in him found it hard to believe the stories were anything more than just the works of overactive imaginations.

"I don't think I'd believe that, but I've heard it's easy to get lost in the wilderness out there," his dad said. "You're lucky your adventure never took you out that way, Ness."

Mulling it over, he decided that was for the best as well. He wasn't interested in investigating Mount Ebott anyway; he'd traveled more than enough for one summer. Probably enough for several summers to come, in fact.

"Open the letter!" Tracy blurted out, reminding him that he was still holding it.

Ness tore the envelope open and withdrew a sheet of paper, folded by someone who clearly hadn't put much care into it. The same poor writing was scrawled across the letter's surface, and although it wasn't signed, he knew _exactly_ where it had come from.

 _"_ _Come and get me, loser! Spankety, spankety, spankety!"_

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

The Chosen Four will return!

After three novelizations, the only logical step is to tie them all together. This crossover of EarthBound, Undertale, and Cave Story will follow up on the stories I've written and connect their universes in a single, cohesive world! I've been planning it out for a long time now, and it won't be ready to start publishing for an even longer time, but I'm determined to bring the best crossover I possibly can to the table. Stay tuned for **Project: Bound Under Caves** (tentative title), hopefully coming in the summer of 2020!

And once again, thank you so much for reading this novelization!

-MetroidMan101


End file.
